


daydream in pink

by artemis_west



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Accidental Sex, Complicated Relationships, Denial of Feelings, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Friends With Benefits, Hotel Sex, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Light Angst, Male-Female Friendship, Mild Smut, Oral Sex, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Post-Canon, Secret Relationship, Sexual Tension, Unresolved Emotional Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:41:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24973276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artemis_west/pseuds/artemis_west
Summary: Allison Reynolds and Kevin Day have never been the best of friends. But almost a year after Seth Gordon's death, Kevin tries to make amends. Soon, Allison realizes something she never admitted before: she finds Kevin Day attractive. A spontaneous invitation to spend the winter break together results in an accidental hookup, a secret friends-with-benefits relationship, and complicated feelings. . . all at the worst time, just before Allison is set to graduate from Palmetto.
Relationships: Kevin Day/Allison Reynolds
Comments: 25
Kudos: 107





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so my goal in posting a fic here every month was to try to get better at short-form writing; I wanted them to be all one-shots, short little (smut) fics that I could bang out in like a week or so to keep consistent with posting. I FAILED with this one and it got away from me. it's not finished yet, and it's way longer than I wanted it to be, so I'm separating it into chapters and just posting the first one. my aim is still to try to finish it by Tuesday, but we'll see what happens.

It started at the banquet that winter.

Kevin was not drunk this time, but that was not surprising. Riko was dead. The Ravens were no longer a threat. The Foxes had moved on with their lives, into what they all hoped was a better future for everyone, one where they weren’t involved in a deadly mob war.

Allison thought Kevin would still be drunk, though. Thea had just broken up with him. 

After the Nest was dismantled at Edgar Allan, after the Foxes won against the Ravens in finals last spring and after Riko was killed, Thea took it hard. Once a Raven, always a Raven (with a few notable exceptions), and Thea seemed to place part of the blame on Kevin for causing the team’s downfall. They’d managed to make it through the rest of that spring and summer, but last week, Allison had heard the news from Nicky that Thea and Kevin had called it quits. 

She didn’t really care all that much. Yes, Kevin was hot (she had eyes, after all) but she’d never even considered going down that road with him. He was too single-minded, too Exy-obsessed, and damaged in more ways than one. (But then, weren’t they all?) And then there was the matter of Kevin just being a dick in general. Allison had never pictured Kevin Day as anything other than what he was.

And he came with a slew of baggage. Not that Allison wasn’t used to baggage.

Allison hadn’t been with anyone since Seth. She hadn’t even thought about it. It hurt too much at first.

But she’d had a year to mourn and grieve, and she was more or less healed by now. She knew it wasn’t that easy - there would always be the memories - but Allison felt better than she had in a long time, and that counted for something. She was on her way to whole again. 

She just never expected ‘whole’ to include Kevin Day. 

The winter banquet that year was tame. At least compared to last year’s. The Ravens weren’t attending, so there was no one for Neil to run his mouth at, and that meant Andrew didn’t need to step in. And with no Ravens and no Riko, Kevin wasn’t itching for a bottle. The atmosphere was docile. Calm. Allison was almost bored. 

Twenty minutes into the banquet, she discovered she was wrong about Neil having no one to run his mouth at. Jack and Sheena, two of the new recruits to the team, had been dogging Neil since they’d showed up on campus over the summer. Allison could see Neil’s jaw tick every time Jack and Sheena teamed up against him. She had several bets going on how long it would take for him to snap. 

She was only half-listening to the conversation as Jack threw taunting jibes in Neil’s direction and Neil shot back with his typical retorts. Andrew was twirling his fork around on his plate, uninterested in the proceedings as usual. He hadn’t stepped in yet where Jack and Sheena were concerned, and it had been months. If he hadn’t done anything yet, Allison knew the newbies weren’t a real problem. Annoying, but not a real problem. Not until they hurt or threatened Neil physically, and Allison didn’t think they would go that far.

The third recruit, the one Neil had picked (a girl named Sam), was sitting on Neil’s other side. Allison hadn’t bothered to get to know Sam all that well, but she seemed alright. Allison already knew Kevin didn’t think Sam was worthy of a spot with the Foxes. He’d made that clear the minute she showed up, and he and Neil had (predictably) fought over it. But by now, their issues were mostly settled. Sam had a habit of asking invasive questions that made the other Foxes cautious of her, but every time Sam felt the need to ask Allison about her past, Allison just stared her down until she shrugged and moved onto something else.

Sam was sneering at Jack, making crude gestures at him and Sheena. Neil turned away from Jack with a stiff posture and started a quiet conversation with Sam to distract them both. After a few minutes, they were both relaxed and talking a mile a minute about Exy.

Besides the in-fighting (but that was nothing new), dinner was uneventful. Kevin was hamming it up with the other teams, smiling for the public and piling on the charm. Allison could usually see right through it, but when she looked closer this time, she realized it wasn’t so fake. Kevin actually seemed . . . okay. She wouldn’t call him happy, but he wasn’t as haunted as he used to be. His shoulders weren’t as heavy. His eyes were a little brighter.

When the dancing portion of the evening started, Allison and Renee took to the floor. Matt and Dan were next to them, and the four of them danced in a close circle. The rest of the team was scattered - Nicky was dancing with the date he’d brought, Aaron and Katelyn were dancing with their arms around each other, and Kevin was on the sidelines, still socializing with the other teams. Neil and Andrew weren’t dancing; they were talking to each other near the corner. Neil was doing the talking and Andrew was listening intently, his eyes on Neil and nothing else. Allison smiled to herself. The money they’d won her in the bets she’d had going on them was nice, but she was also just happy for them, though she would never admit it. Allison liked what Neil was doing to Andrew. 

She would never really get along with the monster, and she would still never forgive him for attacking her last spring, but she liked watching him with Neil. It was really something. 

“I need a drink,” Renee said, leaning into Allison’s ear to be heard over the music. She was smiling and slightly sweaty from the close crowd. Allison nodded and took the hand Renee offered. They left Dan and Matt behind and headed towards the refreshments table. Renee poured them both cups of spiked lemonade. Allison took a cool sip of hers before she noticed Kevin approaching behind Renee, looking earnest. It was a strange look for him to have, and Allison raised an eyebrow over the rim of her cup. Renee turned to see what Allison was looking at. She smiled. 

“Hello, Kevin,” she said politely. 

“Hi,” Kevin said. He put his empty cup down on the table beside them and slid his hands into the pockets of his expensive suit trousers. It was a nice suit. Kevin always wore Italian. Armani or Versace, usually. Allison preferred Dior, or Givenchy, if she was so inclined. Her dress tonight was Givenchy, one of her best. Standing across from each other, she and Kevin looked like the most expensive people in the room. She’d always known that they would look good together, but it was a fancy thought she never entertained for more than a minute.

Kevin smiled at Renee and said, “Do you mind if I speak to Allison for a minute?”

Renee inclined her head. “That’s up to her.” She turned back to Allison with a question in her eyes, and Allison nodded, patting Renee’s shoulder. Renee’s smile was serene as always. “I’ll give you two a moment, then.”

“See what Andrew and Neil are up to,” Allison suggested, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Get me some good gossip.” 

Renee chuckled softly and shook her head as she walked away, leaving Allison and Kevin alone. 

Allison towered in her five-inch Louboutin heels (red soles, the most expensive) but Kevin was still taller than her. That didn’t stop her from looking at him as if she had the higher vantage point. 

“I assume you’re not here just to chit-chat,” she said. That earnest look on Kevin’s face was a little more muted now, almost nervous. The green eyes flickered down to the floor, and Allison noticed Kevin’s shoulders tense just a fraction. He took a deep breath. 

“I’ve been working up the courage to say this for months,” he said quietly, low enough that Allison had to take another step forward to hear him. “I should’ve said it much earlier, but I wasn’t - I couldn’t.” 

Suddenly Allison’s skin prickled with anxious anticipation, and she stepped back again, shaking her head. “You don’t have to say it.” Her intuition told her what Kevin had come over here to say, and she didn’t want to hear it. Not here. 

But Kevin said, “I’m sorry. For Seth.” And the breath left Allison’s lungs in a quiet rush. She tightened her hands into fists, crossing her arms over her chest. 

She had to look away from him, or she might’ve punched him in the jaw. 

Allison closed her eyes and focused, using the deep breathing techniques Renee had taught her a long time ago. She calmed herself. As much as she could. She shook her head. 

“Neil already apologized a long time ago,” she said. 

“But it was my fault, too,” Kevin insisted. “And I didn’t know how to face you.”

“It’s fine.” Allison dismissed it carelessly, waving it away. “Whatever. Thanks for the apology.”

Kevin looked like he wanted to say more, but the look on Allison’s face must have stopped him. So he just mumbled, “Sorry,” this time an apology for bothering her, and walked away. 

Allison watched his retreating back, her eyes narrowed at him. 

Fucking Kevin fucking Day. 

*

Wymack had the Foxes working out in the gym on the second floor of the stadium. Allison was doing squats in front of the mirror - she always liked to watch herself when she worked out. She wore pink leggings and a matching pink sports bra, her hair tied up in a high ponytail. Sweat dripped down her neck and back; the team had been at it for half an hour already, and they had thirty minutes left to go until Coach dismissed them for cooldowns. 

Renee and Dan were doing squats with her, and facing the mirror, they had a view of everyone else behind them in the gym. Allison could see Kevin seated at the pec deck, eyes focused nowhere in particular as he pushed his arms in and out to the sides. He was shirtless, wearing only basketball shorts, and Allison admired his chest. God, he had a good body. She’d always thought so. It was fucking irritating, but she was allowed to look and admire from afar. 

She didn’t turn her gaze away when his eyes suddenly met hers in the mirror, and she saw them flicker once to her ass as she pushed it out in another squat. Then Kevin pursed his lips and looked away. She smirked. At least own up to the fact that he was checking her out. 

It wasn’t the first time - she’d noticed his gaze on her more and more in the last few weeks, during every practice or team workout. She’d put it down to his misplaced guilt and unresolved feelings over Seth’s death, and hadn’t given it a second thought. She was used to guys looking at her. That it was Kevin Day didn’t really make a difference. 

Not much, anyway. 

“Do we want to talk about that?” Dan asked quietly. She’d noticed Kevin and Allison’s silent exchange in the mirror. Allison shook her head. 

“No, we don’t.”

“Are you sure?” Renee asked. “We’re here to listen if you want advice.”

“I don’t need any,” Allison said. She softened her voice. “But thanks.” Renee smiled at her; Allison smiled back. 

There was nothing to talk about. Kevin was just a normal guy with hormones, and Allison was just a pretty girl. 

They would never work, anyway. Their personalities were too abrasive. She was too headstrong with high standards and he was too . . . Allison’s thoughts trailed off. She didn’t really know what Kevin was, actually. Not below surface level. All she’d seen of him was his borderline alcoholism, his subdued and repressed emotional scale when it came to Wymack and Riko and Exy. 

Now that Riko was dead and everyone knew Wymack was his father, Kevin was noticeably calmer and more peaceful, but she knew he still had trouble with drinking, and he was still walking the road to a normal relationship with Coach. 

But that was all Allison needed to see of him to know him, anyway. She didn’t need or want to go deeper. She and Kevin were teammates, but they didn’t have to be friends. And besides, it was her senior year. There was no point getting involved with anyone a handful of months before she graduated.

Though Neil would’ve argued that being teammates made them family, and Dan probably would have too. Allison almost rolled her eyes. Fucking Neil getting in her head. She glimpsed at him and Andrew in the mirror; they were running on treadmills next to each other on the far side of the gym, Sam and another new team member named Robin on the last two treadmills next to Neil. Those four had become a gang among the team. The New Monsters, jokingly dubbed by Nicky.

Allison went back to looking at Kevin, who had moved to a bench to lift weights. Aaron was his spotter, standing over him while he pressed the bar over his head. His chest glistened with sweat, and since he couldn’t look at her now in his position, Allison let her eyes rove shamelessly over his body, down his sculpted abs, the V of his hips, to the outline of his bulge in his shorts, his legs spread on either side of the bench.

She licked her dry lips, her thighs burning as she finished her last set of squats. 

Renee was looking at her with a knowing smile and an eyebrow raised, but Allison grimaced and tore her gaze away, shaking her head. 

No. There was nothing to talk about. 

They would never work.


	2. Chapter 2

_ Party tonight!  _

Allison’s phone buzzed with a text from a group chat she kept with a number of sorority girls in one of her fashion media classes. She wasn’t ‘friends’ with the girls, per se, but she was ‘friendly’ with them when it was convenient. On the surface, Allison Reynolds  _ looked  _ like she should be a sorority girl, and so she was treated as such; but because she was a Fox, she was distinctly different, an unnameable  _ other  _ apart from all the rest of the girls who weren’t athletes. But she was respected, and loved, and the sorority girls wanted her in their social circles. 

Because she was invited to so many parties, she often invited the whole team to those parties - it was amusing to her to watch the faces of the sorority girls when the entire Exy team showed up at the house, instead of just Allison, like they’d expected. They would always laugh and smile nervously and say, “Oh! Well, um, I guess you guys can come in?” 

Nicky was easily accepted among the Greek crowd because of his sexuality combined with his personality. The sorority girls fawned over him, and the closeted frat boys invited him into their bedrooms. Matt was an instant crowd-pleaser and could blend in anywhere, so he never had a problem at these parties. Dan never did either, nor did Renee. The twins only went to the parties Allison invited them to because Nicky and Kevin did - before Neil arrived, anyway - and Kevin only went to the parties to drink. 

After Neil, Aaron went to parties with Katelyn and some of the other Vixens, and Andrew stopped going. Kevin’s attendance became a rare thing, as well. 

But for whatever reason, the whole team accepted Allison’s invitation this time. 

Sam and Robin probably had something to do with Neil and Andrew’s presence. The new girls had never been to a college party and wanted to try it out, just to say that they’d done it and check it off their list. Allison doubted they’d actually enjoy it.

To her surprise, though, the party turned out to be a night to remember for everyone. Including her.

It was just a few days before Palmetto’s winter break - most classes were over for the semester, and the mood on campus was upbeat, excited ahead of the holidays. The Fox text chain buzzed with responses after Allison sent the invite out. 

_ Hell yeah!!  _ From Nicky, followed by a string of emojis. 

_ Sweet,  _ Matt sent.  _ It’s been a while since we went to a good party. _

_ What he said,  _ Dan replied, with an arrow pointing up to Matt’s text. 

_ I’ll go!  _ From Renee. 

_ Katelyn already invited me,  _ from Aaron. 

_ Sam and Robin say they want to go,  _ Neil said.  _ I guess me and Andrew will come too _

Neil’s text was accompanied by a random emoji that made no sense in the context of his message. Nicky had been trying to teach Neil how to text properly, and there were mixed results. 

_ Neil what is that lmao _

_??? Idk _

Allison laughed quietly to herself as she read the texts. At Neil’s confusing message, Andrew finally chimed in. He rarely took part in the text chain, but Allison knew he read all the messages. 

_ Stupid,  _ was Andrew’s succinct message. Allison smirked. 

Kevin was the only one who hadn’t responded yet, and Allison very deliberately did not stare at her screen waiting for his reply. Maybe he just didn’t have his phone on him. 

But when her phone buzzed again, she picked it back up almost immediately. 

_ Okay.  _

That was all Kevin said, but she took it to mean that he would be at the party with the rest of them. 

She didn’t care. It didn’t matter. 

When the time came to get ready, she didn’t pick out something sexy to wear on purpose. It just turned out that way. She put on a pink velvet miniskirt and a black lace crop top, a black bralette underneath. She wore her favorite shoes, the rainbow ones with the six-inch heels. She’d gotten a fresh mani-pedi a few days ago, so her nails were still shiny and perfect, petal pink and filed to an edge. She’d perfected the art of doing her makeup in record time, so it didn’t take her long to “put her face on,” as Nicky always called it. She teased her hair into voluminous waves and left it down to fall over her shoulders, and she slipped on a few pieces of jewelry. 

Looking good was never an effort for her anymore; it was just easy. 

She never went to these parties expecting to hook up with someone. When she was with Seth, she’d dressed up to make him jealous when other people looked at her, or she’d dressed up for him. For herself, too, of course - she just felt more comfortable when she looked beautiful. Her aim was always to attract attention, but just to have it. She never intended to act on it. 

Tonight was no different. 

She met the rest of the Foxes outside Fox Tower. They were walking to the party despite the cold weather, since Greek Row wasn’t too far away. Allison had put on a pink fur coat over her outfit. She definitely noticed Kevin glance at her and then away, and she lifted her chin, smiling to herself. 

Renee looped her arm through Allison’s, leaning against her. “You look great.”

“Thanks. Are we waiting on anyone else?”

“Just Neil and Andrew,” Dan said. 

“They’re one-hundred percent making out and got distracted,” Nicky said. Aaron rolled his eyes, and Sam and Robin, who were standing together, shared a look. They’d gotten closer to Neil and Andrew than anyone was expecting. 

Nicky’s suspicions were proven correct when the boys finally appeared, Neil’s hair disheveled and his cheeks flushed. Andrew was wearing a turtleneck under his coat. Neil’s blush deepened when Nicky whistled, but he took Andrew’s hand in defiance. 

“Can we go now?” Aaron asked impatiently, already turning away. Katelyn and the rest of the Vixens were already at the party. Kevin walked alongside Aaron, shoulders hunched against the cold. Allison stared at his back as she and Renee walked with Dan and Matt. 

When they got to the party, the door was already open, and they walked right in. Allison watched Kevin’s head disappear in the crowd, headed straight to wherever the alcohol was. A few other jocks in attendance recognized him and patted him on the back in greeting. The Foxes dispersed among the party guests, all in different directions. Renee pulled Allison to where a group of girls was standing by the staircase. She recognized them from her classes and knew their names, but Allison didn’t pay attention to any of the conversations they were having. She mingled with Renee, and soon enough she found a drink in her hand. 

The music was some trashy rap, the kind sorority girls always favored, but after three drinks, Allison was bobbing her head to it, tapping her foot on the ground. She wanted to move. When she was with Seth and they went to these kinds of things, she could always convince him to dance for a bit. He would put his hands on her hips and let her guide their movements. They always fit so well together. 

She closed her eyes and imagined dancing with him, but the picture that took shape in her head wasn’t her dead boyfriend. It was a tall striker with dark, disheveled hair and green eyes, a queen chess piece tattooed on his cheek.

“I’m gonna find the bathroom,” Allison said into Renee’s ear. She didn’t really need to go, but all of a sudden she just wanted to be alone. 

Renee squeezed her hand and let her go. “I’m here if you need me.” She understood. 

Allison walked away, knocking back the rest of her drink on her way through the crowd. She wasn’t even sure what she’d been drinking - probably jungle juice - but she’d stopped really tasting it by this point and was just swallowing it down. 

She found the bathroom in a downstairs hallway, and miraculously there was no line. As she reached out to knock on the door, it opened. Kevin stepped out. He swayed on his feet, and his eyes were sunken. Allison couldn’t believe it. He was already shitfaced. 

For some reason, she’d thought that he was getting better. Not drinking as much. She didn’t know where she’d gotten that idea, and she didn’t know why she suddenly felt so disappointed to see it proven wrong. 

“Sorry,” Kevin mumbled on his way past her. Allison watched him try to make his way down the hall, a hand on the wall to guide himself. She sighed. 

“Wait, Kevin.” She caught up with him and put her arm around his waist, holding him up. “Come on. You need to go home. Where’s Andrew? Or Aaron?” One of the twins or Neil usually took care of him, but they’d disappeared over an hour ago. 

“Dunno,” Kevin slurred. With his weight against her, Allison almost stumbled in her heels, but she stayed upright. 

As they passed through the sorority house and towards the front door, Allison caught a glimpse of Andrew and Neil - they’d found a private corner of the living room. Neil was sitting on Andrew’s lap and they were making out, absorbed in each other and completely oblivious to the world around them. It was an unusually public display of affection for them. She didn’t want to bother them and interrupt what was sure to be a milestone. Another glance around the room and Allison found Aaron, wrapped in an embrace with Katelyn. He was no help either. Matt and Dan weren’t in sight, and neither was Nicky. Renee was where Allison had left her, and when she saw Allison and Kevin, she ducked over to help. 

They got him outside. Kevin’s head hung, his footsteps dragging. Allison got him standing, made him look her in the eyes, and then snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Hey. You awake?”

“Let me go get him some water,” Renee said. She went back inside the house. It was quieter out here, and the cold air seemed to be having a somewhat sobering effect on Kevin - his eyes cleared a little, and he stood up on his own. Allison had forgotten her coat inside, and she wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. 

“You look . . . really good tonight,” Kevin said, making an effort to make his words coherent. Allison raised an eyebrow. “You’re gorgeous, Allison.”

“Oh, boy.”

He went quiet and shoved his hands in his pockets, shoulders heaving with a sigh that sounded so pathetic and sad Allison almost felt something for him. When Renee returned, she had a plastic cup of water and Allison’s pink fur coat in hand. Allison smiled gratefully at her and shrugged it on. 

“Will you be alright?” Renee asked in concern. 

“Yeah. I’ll walk him home. I don’t want to be here anymore, anyway.”

“Okay. Call me if you need me, or Dan.”

“Have fun,” Allison said. She took Kevin’s arm and started walking with him back in the direction of Fox Tower. He was silent for a while, shuffling along beside her. She was ready to catch him if he fell or tripped, but he seemed okay. He sipped the water Renee had given him slowly.

“I’m sorry,” he said after a few minutes of quiet. 

“For what?” Allison looked over at him, but his eyes were on the ground. 

“You don’t have to take care of me like this.”

“Someone has to.”

“No,” Kevin said. “No one  _ has  _ to.”

She didn’t reply, because she knew he was right. Against her better judgment, Allison said a minute later, “I thought you were getting better.”

There was a pause. “I was.”

She didn’t have to ask what happened, why he’d slipped off the wagon. She understood having bad nights. She still had them occasionally too, nights where she thought of Seth too much, where she let her grief catch up with her. They were getting rarer, but they still happened, and they still felt like a sucker punch to the chest every time.

Kevin’s head seemed to be clearing now, and Allison wondered if he remembered calling her gorgeous. She wondered if he would remember this conversation tomorrow. 

They got back to Fox Tower without injury or incident, and Allison went with Kevin up the elevator. She got him into his room and into bed, helping him lay down. She got him another glass of water from the dorm kitchen and set it on the desk next to his bed. She didn’t really know why she was doing it, only that she pitied him, and she resented it. She didn’t want to care for Kevin like this, and she had no idea when or how it had happened. 

“Don’t - don’t tell my dad,” Kevin mumbled, his face half-hidden in the pillow. Allison froze. “He’s been trying to help me stop drinking.”

She knew the right thing to do would be to tell Coach Wymack. But something in Kevin’s face, the pleading look in his eyes, made her break. 

“I won’t,” she said. She had no business getting involved in Kevin’s personal life, anyway. “Like I care.” She added it as an afterthought, to make sure Kevin knew where they stood. 

“I think you care,” he said quietly, peering at her with the one eye that wasn’t buried in the pillow. 

“I don’t,” Allison said, flipping her hair. She felt weird. She needed to be alone. “I’m going back to my room.” She started towards the door, but Kevin’s hand reached out from the bed and caught her fingers. 

“Stay,” he whispered. 

He was still drunk. She knew that. 

She’d only had three drinks, so she couldn’t claim the same thing. It wouldn’t be a good excuse the next morning. 

“It’s not a good idea,” she said, pulling her fingers away. Her skin felt too sensitive all of a sudden, her stomach tight. 

“Please,” Kevin said. Allison closed her eyes. She sighed and tilted her head back to the ceiling. She thought about it for a full thirty seconds. 

As long as they didn’t fall asleep together. She could wait until he was out, which probably wouldn’t be much longer, and then she could go back to her own room and no one else on the team would ever have to know about it. 

“Fine,” she said. “Move over.” She took off her coat and her heels and dropped them on the floor. Kevin made room for her on the bed, and she climbed in beside him. Her back was to his front. They barely touched, but she could feel him behind her, weighing down the bed. She felt aware of every nerve in her body. Every hair on her head and every pore in her skin. 

“Thank you,” Kevin said gently. Allison didn’t reply.

Less than twenty minutes later, Kevin was snoring softly. Allison moved slowly, one limb at a time, until she was safely off the bed. She gathered her things and went back to her own room, where she stripped all her clothes and laid down in her underwear, burying herself in her pink down comforter. 

She tried to fall asleep quickly so she wouldn’t have to think about what had just happened, but of course her body betrayed her. She wasn’t tired. Her mind was fully awake, spinning in circles. 

The team couldn’t find out. She didn’t think Kevin would tell them - they’d both been the brunt of stupid jokes since they’d met, usually from Nicky, sometimes Aaron or Matt, about the two of them hooking up, and if the team found out, they’d never live it down. It was a small comfort that at least Allison knew for a fact there were no ongoing bets about her and Day. She knew every single bet the team had going, and she wasn’t a part of any of them. She’d made sure of that. No one was going to make any money off of her without her explicit consent. 

Kevin, though . . . yeah, there were plenty of bets going about him. He, Neil, and Andrew were the subject of most of the ones currently circulating. 

Allison sighed, burying her face in her pillow. She should just give up and go watch a movie or something. She wasn’t sleeping tonight. 

When she put leggings and a Fox sweatshirt on and shuffled out into the living room in her pink slippers, she realized something and groaned to herself. Winter break was in two days. She knew Kevin was staying on campus. This year, so was she. 

She usually went home with Dan or Renee every year, but this year, she’d decided she would stay behind and maybe book a little self-care winter vacation for herself. She hadn’t decided on any place in particular, but she was thinking she might visit some spas and do some shopping in Columbia. She’d agreed to fly out to spend Christmas and New Year’s with Renee, since Dan would be with Matt and his mother, but she would have a handful of days to herself before and after that. She’d never really done it before, spending winter break alone, and she wanted to try something different. 

But if she wanted to avoid Kevin, she would have to book a trip somewhere. 

California might be nice. She wouldn’t have to deal with the cold weather, and she could get a nice tan. Plus, a couple of professional Exy teams had reached out to her this semester, asking if she might be interested in playing for them after she graduated. There were some fashion brands whose PR teams had sent her messages inquiring about sponsorships, and quite a few of them were based in California. If she went there, she could do some tours. 

Kevin was staying to be with Wymack and Abby, so he would be fine. There was no reason for her to worry about him. None at all. 

California felt like a better idea the more she thought about it, rummaging through the kitchen cabinets for a midnight snack. There were more pros than cons. Graduation was a few months away, and most seniors had their futures planned already. They had jobs lined up and waiting for them as soon as they walked across that stage in May. Dan was angling for an assistant coaching position for a local team nearby; she wanted to get experience under her belt before she came back to help Wymack coach the next generation of Foxes. Renee had tossed around the idea of joining the Peace Corps or joining a charity organization. Allison thought she knew what she wanted to do, but her decision wasn’t solid yet. Maybe California would help clarify things for her. 

Either way, she thought that was where she was going to end up in the end. Eventually, she wanted to try and reconnect with her parents. They’d stopped speaking to her when she decided to go to Palmetto and play Exy, cut her off completely, but she wasn’t going to die without getting her inheritance back. No way in hell. 

She liked fashion design and thought she could put her degree to good use working for one of the big-name companies that had reached out to her while she designed her own things, but she also liked Exy, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to give it up completely yet. She had options, and winter break would be a good time to explore them.

Yes, she decided. She was going to California.

Allison fixed herself a snack and fetched her laptop from her room. She brought it over to the coffee table, turning on the TV for background noise. She pulled up a flight website and looked for the earliest available ticket. 

Within twenty minutes, she had a flight booked to LAX in four days, and she’d found a nice hotel in Venice Beach with last-minute availability. She responded to some of the emails clogging her inbox. There were two professional Exy teams she was interested in checking out - the Los Angeles Sharks and the San Diego Lightning. They were close enough to each other that she could visit both while she was there. 

A total of five fashion companies had emailed Allison asking if she’d be interested in working for them, and she narrowed it down to a choice of two. Her sophomore year, she’d interned at a small fashion start-up in Columbia, and that had helped embellish her resume. She’d emailed her resume out to several companies at the beginning of the semester without really thinking about it, but now she put consideration into which ones she replied to. If she wasn’t going to play Exy, she’d prefer to work for an athleisure brand or an athletic fashion company, one that would allow her to move up its ranks until she could get them to manufacture her own line. 

Allison was still up, doing research on her future, by the time Dan and Renee came back, Dan stumbling and giggling while Renee held her up. 

“You’re awake!” Dan said, tossing her arms around Allison’s shoulders as she leaned against the couch. “What are you still doing up?”

Allison checked the time. It was nearly two in the morning. 

“I’ve been making winter break plans,” she said. “I’m going to California.”

Dan’s eyes widened. She hiccupped. “Really?”

“Yeah. Decided to check out a couple of the teams there.”

“Oh, good! I know you said you were still undecided, but I don’t think you should give up Exy. You’re too good of a player.”

“Are you still spending the holidays with me?” Renee asked, in a way that Allison knew meant she wouldn’t be offended if the plans had changed. 

“Of course. I just booked up the extra time before Christmas,” she explained. “I fly to L.A in four days.”

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that a certain striker will be spending winter break on campus, would it?” Dan asked cheekily. Allison grit her teeth, giving Dan a warning smile. 

“No,” she said. Dan laughed, and Renee patted Allison’s shoulder. She sighed. They knew her too well. 

“Is he alright?” Renee asked. 

“He’s fine. I got him to bed.” At Dan’s giggle, Allison glared. “ _ Nothing happened.  _ I just walked him home and made sure he was okay so he wouldn’t make a fool of himself.”

“That’s so nice of you,” Dan said. Allison rolled her eyes. Dan was insufferable when she’d been drinking. 

“Come on, Dan,” Renee ushered her towards the bedroom. “Let’s go to bed.”

“Oh, but I want to sleep with Matt,” Dan said, trying to go back towards the door. “Aaron is staying at Katelyn’s and Nicky doesn’t care. He can take the couch.”

Renee shared a look with Allison. “I suppose Nicky can bunk with us for the night, if he wants.” Allison shrugged. 

“I don’t have a problem with it.”

“Yay!” Dan went to the door and left the room before they could stop her. Allison and Renee followed her out. Matt’s door was open, as if he’d been waiting for Dan. Neil, Andrew, and Robin were just coming into the hallway, Robin supported on either side by the boys, Sam close behind them. It looked like Robin had a little too much fun experimenting at the party, and Allison knew this would be the end of her curiosity. Nicky trailed behind them, chattering on with Sam and two of the other freshmen Foxes who’d somehow found their way to the sorority party with them. 

“Nicky,” Allison called, nodding her head towards the girls’ room. “You’re with us tonight. Dan wants to be with Matt.”

“Okay,” he said without argument. “Can I take her bed if I’m being sexiled?” 

“Sure.” They’d had impromptu sleepovers before, and Allison never minded them. Nicky did face masks with the girls and they talked about Erik or Seth, usually. 

“Are you guys gonna sexile  _ me _ ?” Robin asked, lifting her head to look between Neil and Andrew. Neil blushed fiercely, and Andrew just sighed. Allison almost smiled. 

“No,” Neil said, but Allison saw the look in Andrew’s eyes. She nudged Renee. 

“You can stay with us too, Robin,” Renee offered. “There’s room.”

“Kevin’s passed out,” Allison warned the boys. Andrew nodded, and Neil flashed her a grateful look. 

“Aw, you took him home?” Nicky made kissing noises, and Allison flipped him off. 

“Another word out of you and you’re sleeping in the hallway.”

Nicky mimed zipping his lips shut, but Allison could see the maniacal gleam in his eye, and she glared. 

If she had to duct tape his mouth tonight, she would. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fic kinda just has a fucked up timeline that you have to ignore but that's fine
> 
> I'll just post a chapter a day I guess until it's finished, right now it's 40 pages and I haven't divided it up completely yet but I think it's almost done! hopefully because I want to move on from it and I also want to be able to post a shorter smut fic in July


	3. Chapter 3

“Have fun in California. Send me lots of pictures,” Dan said as she pulled Allison into a goodbye hug. Dan and Matt had piled their things into Matt’s truck and bundled up for their drive to Matt’s mother’s house. 

“I will,” Allison promised. She kissed Dan’s cheek. “We’ll FaceTime on Christmas?”

“Of course.” Dan smiled. 

Matt bear-hugged Allison next. “If you run into The Rock while you’re in Hollywood, get his autograph for me.”

“I won’t be in Hollywood, Matt,” Allison reminded him. Okay, yeah, she would probably spend a day there just because. If she was going to be in L.A, she might as well. When in Rome. 

“The Rock lives in Georgia, anyway,” Nicky said. He was catching a ride to the airport from Matt and Dan - he was going to Germany for the holidays again this year. He and Erik usually alternated. 

“I thought he had a mansion in Miami,” Dan said. “I read that somewhere.”

“Nope, he lives near Atlanta now.” Nicky could always be relied upon to keep up with useless celebrity gossip. Allison followed it too, sometimes, but she wasn’t the spout of information Nicky was. Her knowledge was always more about which movie star was pregnant, which previously perfect couple was going through a divorce, and which famous person had just overdosed again. 

“Still,” Matt said, grinning at Allison conspiratorially. “He might be there.”

“Okay. If I see him, I’ll get his autograph for you, Matty.”

“You’re the best. I would also like a souvenir.”

“Sure,” Allison said. “Everyone text me what they want. I’ll bring back an extra bag of cheap tourist crap.” They had all been to California before, for a couple of away games, but they’d never been close to Hollywood, and they’d never gotten a chance to explore and have fun while they were there. 

“Drive safe,” Renee said as she hugged Matt and Dan goodbye. “Text me when you get there.”

“I will. Bye, guys! Have a good winter break!” Dan climbed into the truck and waved goodbye from the window as Matt pulled out of the Fox Tower parking lot. With Dan, Matt, and Nicky gone, Renee and Allison were the only ones left, but Renee was leaving later tonight. Aaron had left earlier with Katelyn to spend the holidays with her family. Andrew and Neil were taking a trip together, somewhere out of the country. Sam and Robin and some of the other freshmen Foxes were staying on campus, which meant Kevin would be training them mercilessly on the court whenever he could. Allison was sure most of them would regret their decision. 

She hadn’t seen Kevin in two days, which meant he was avoiding her. It would’ve been impossible for them not to run into each other unless one of them was actively trying to stay out of the other’s way. Allison thought that meant Kevin remembered the other night, what he’d said and what they’d done, and it made her uneasy. Nervous. 

She was glad to be leaving. She needed to get out of here for a while. 

“Should we go back inside?” Renee asked, looping her arm through Allison’s. “I can help you finish packing.”

“Perfect,” Allison said. 

“Tell me again about the two teams you’ll be visiting,” Renee said. 

“The L.A. Sharks and the San Diego Lightning. I think I might be leaning more towards the Lightning, just based on what I’ve seen of their games. The coach is a woman, which I like, and their team colors are cute.” She smirked. 

“No orange?” Renee smiled. 

“No orange,” Allison said. 

“You’ll miss it when we graduate, though.” Renee’s smile turned wistful. “I already do.”

Allison knew she was right. The Foxes were her life, part of her identity. Her family. Playing for Palmetto had changed her for the better, made her stronger, and she would never forget it. 

“Maybe,” she said to Renee as they stepped off the elevator on their floor. “Remember when we were freshmen, and we met for the first time? You, me and Dan. We hated each other at first.” They’d all been younger, bruised and nearly broken by the circumstances that had brought them to Palmetto’s campus, and their trust hadn’t been easy to gain. It took some time, but by the end of the first year, they were inseparable. 

Renee laughed. “Like it was yesterday. I can’t believe how fast the time has passed. So much has happened since then.”

“We still have five and a half months before graduation,” Allison reminded her best friend, patting her arm. “Let’s not get sentimental yet. I plan to enjoy the time we have left as much as possible.”

“The spring season will be our last as Foxes. We have to play harder than we ever have. Go out with a bang.”

“Absolutely,” Allison agreed. “One more championship trophy before we leave.” Last year’s still stood proudly on the stand Allison had bought for it, polished to a sheen once a week by Neil and Kevin. Obsessive Exy nerds. 

She would miss Neil. Damn it, she would miss Kevin, too.

Allison sighed. 

She was only halfway packed for her trip to California, her pink suitcase open on her bed. She’d prioritized her bikinis and swimsuits, but Renee helped her pack business professional clothes for her interviews, workout gear, and cute outfits to stroll around L.A in. She double-checked to make sure she had enough underwear, because she always worried she’d run out. She packed four different pairs of shoes, and three travel-sized bags of makeup, plus two small bags of accessories. 

She would be coming back to Palmetto before she went to stay with Renee and her mother, so she didn’t have to worry about packing clothes for colder weather. She would have two weeks of sunshine before she had to give it up for snow. 

“Is that everything?” Renee asked as she helped Allison zip her suitcase shut. 

“I think so.” If she’d forgotten anything, she could just buy a replacement of whatever she needed in L.A. 

Renee checked the time. “I should probably get ready. My mother should be here soon.” Stephanie was making the long drive down to South Carolina to pick up Renee, just to spend time with her on the ride home. It gave Allison a slight pang in her chest to think of how much Stephanie loved her adopted daughter. 

Her parents might’ve loved her, once, and she might’ve loved them. Maybe. Allison didn’t feel an aching loss at their silence towards her, and she rarely spared a thought for them except for her bad days, but sometimes she wondered how things might’ve turned out in different circumstances. It was always a dull ache, like a fading bruise, and it hurt less and less with each day. She had the Foxes, Renee and Dan, and Stephanie cared for Allison, too. She’d had Seth. That had always been enough. 

She was excited to spend the holidays with Renee and her mom. Despite wanting her solo vacation, being around family would be just as good for her. 

“I’ll walk down with you.” Allison grabbed Renee’s bags for her, and they left Fox Tower again to wait outside. Allison glanced at Kevin’s closed door as they passed it. It had been closed since Andrew and Neil left for their trip. She didn’t know if Kevin was still in the room or not. She hadn’t seen him when everyone was saying goodbye to Neil and Andrew. 

The door was still closed by the time Renee was gone and Allison came back upstairs. 

She and Kevin were the only ones left in Fox Tower now. (Allison didn’t count the freshmen). 

She hovered outside his door, biting her lip. She should go back to her own room. She should forget about Kevin and leave for California and have a great time and think of no one but herself. 

She reminded herself that Kevin wouldn’t be alone. Wymack and Abby would be here to take care of him if he needed it, and he’d probably be too busy torturing the freshmen Foxes in training to do anything else. 

Allison knocked on his door. 

There was no answer for long enough that she’d decided to go back to her room when the door swung open. 

Kevin seemed surprised to see her there. His eyes widened for a second before he composed himself, but Allison saw his cheeks redden. His hair was messy like he’d just woken up from a nap. 

“Uh, hey,” he said, his voice groggy. God, the sound of Kevin after he’d just woken up. And he was shirtless, which did not help. Allison hated having hormones sometimes. Fucking Kevin Day. 

“Hi,” she said, standing at her full height. She considered herself tall(ish) at five foot nine, but Kevin towered over her. He towered over everyone except maybe Matt. 

They stood there staring at each other, waiting for the other to speak first. Allison refused to break eye contact, even though she could feel her skin tingling, her stomach tightening. She crossed her arms over her chest. 

“I’m . . . sorry for the other night?” Kevin said, blushing, making the words a question like it was what he thought Allison wanted to hear. She rolled her eyes. 

“Whatever. That was nothing. I just did a nice thing.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder. 

“Then why are you here? No offense.” Kevin looked away, his green eyes moving over her head to avoid her gaze. “But we’re not really . . . friends.”

“So let’s change that,” Allison said recklessly, stupidly. “We’ve played on the same team for almost three years but we’ve hardly ever talked outside of that. There’s been awkwardness between us since the banquet when you tried to apologize for Seth. I want to get rid of it.”

“You don’t talk to Aaron outside of the team, either,” Kevin said, rubbing the back of his head. “Or Andrew and Neil.”

“Wrong.”

“What?” He looked confused, which Allison enjoyed immensely.

“I don’t need to explain it to you,” she said. “But you’re the only person on the team I don’t have some kind of personal relationship with. Probably because ever since you came here, Matt and Nicky decided it would be funny to joke about us sleeping together.”

“I told them to stop,” Kevin said, brows furrowing as his mouth turned down in annoyance. He hated those jokes as much as Allison did. 

“So did I.”

“I’m sorry if that bothered you,” he said. “I don’t even know where it came from.”

“It’s because we’re the two hottest people on the team.” Allison shrugged. “So they expect us to fuck. Simple.” It was probably the exact reason why they’d never talked much outside of the team, just to avoid further teasing by their teammates. 

Kevin winced at the frank way she put it. “Right. Well, sorry.”

“Stop apologizing for things you have no control over.” 

“Alright.” Kevin looked wary now, like he was somewhat intimidated. Allison enjoyed that more than she should have, too. “So . . . you want to be friends?”

“Yes. I don’t want to graduate without at least trying. We’ve been through too much together to not try. And I think Neil is going to be determined to keep in touch with every single one of us after he graduates, so I’m sure we’ll all still be seeing each other for years to come. It’ll be easier if we’re actually friends.”

Kevin nodded like it made sense, and it did, to Allison’s relief. She was sort of just making this up as she went along, but she was gratified to know it was working. She was good. 

“We’ve all been through too much together,” Kevin pointed out, his voice a little quieter. “I don’t think any of us are going to forget that. We can’t.”

“Exactly. And I’m friends with everyone else on the team. So you and I need to get over this bullshit.”

“Bullshit?” Kevin’s eyebrows raised. 

“The sexual tension.”

He coughed. “Oh. Uh, okay.” Allison thought he definitely remembered the other night, which meant he hadn’t been as drunk as she thought he was. 

“Listen. I think you’re attractive. And obviously you think I’m attractive. We just need to acknowledge that, but it doesn’t mean we have to act on it. If we can get past it, we can be friends,” she said, lifting her chin. 

Kevin’s blush was deep. It made his tattoo stand out on his cheek. “Allison, this - ”

“You just need to say you’re attracted to me,” she said, refusing to back down. Other girls would’ve been embarrassing themselves to the point of no return if they were standing in front of Kevin Day demanding he admit he thought they were hot - other girls would’ve sounded certifiably insane - but Allison wasn’t other girls, and most importantly, she knew she was right. 

Kevin sighed. “Jesus.” He rubbed his face, pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers, and then looked at her and said, “Fine. Yes, Allison, I think you’re attractive. I’m a guy and I have eyes.”

She smirked. “Good. That’s settled, then.”

He shrugged. “Okay. Can I go now? I still don’t really know what you want.”

“Come to California with me.” She was on a roll now, and she couldn’t stop. Allison knew she might regret this later, but right now, she was going to be reckless and see where she ended up. Her life had been lacking excitement since all the drama with Neil and the Ravens last year. She was feeling a rush all of a sudden, adrenaline making her heart pump faster.

Kevin’s eyes popped wide. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I’m going to L.A for winter break. To check out some professional teams. And some other career opportunities. Come with me.”

He looked shocked, off-balance. His mouth opened, then closed. Then he asked, “What teams?”

Of course he would ask that. 

“L.A Sharks and San Diego Lightning,” Allison said. Kevin grimaced. 

“That’s not even a question. Go with the Lightning. The Sharks are laughable - ”

“Whatever. Come with me.” Allison cut him off before he could go on a tirade. She didn’t want to hear it; she’d just needed to tempt him to say yes. 

Kevin chewed on his lip for a minute, staring at her like he couldn’t believe they were having this conversation. Allison refused to back down. She’d gotten this far. She couldn’t give up now. 

Then, finally, he said, “Okay.”

And so, two days later, Allison found herself sitting next to Kevin Day, alone together on a cross-country flight to Los Angeles. 

There had been a couple of extra seats left on Allison’s flight. Kevin wasn’t directly next to her, but across the aisle, and for the most part, they didn’t talk or really even look at each other. Allison kept her headphones on and tried not to pay too much attention to Kevin. 

She couldn’t believe they were doing this. 

Wymack was confused and surprised by his son’s sudden decision to join Allison on her trip, but he hadn’t said anything against it. He’d given them both looks, but he didn’t say anything except to have fun and be careful. Abby had wished them both safe travels. None of the freshmen Foxes were able to figure it out before they left, which Allison knew was a good thing. She didn’t need gossip going around that she hadn’t started herself. 

Kevin slept for most of the flight, sprawled in his seat. When he was awake and the flight attendants came by with their carts full of drinks and snacks, Allison watched him carefully. But he didn’t order any alcohol. A part of her felt guilty for thinking he would in the first place. 

To be fair, she only knew that part of Kevin, really. The whole team knew it. Andrew, Neil, and Wymack were probably the only ones on the team who had gotten below Kevin’s surface, who understood him deeply, intimately. Maybe Aaron could be included in that group, too, and Allison would even go so far as to say Dan. 

She’d never wanted to go deeper before. She’d always known it would be a bad idea, especially after Seth. But now Allison was changing her mind. 

As Kevin slept, she thought about every interaction they’d had since he arrived at Palmetto State with a broken hand. Being college Exy players, they’d all known who he was, and Allison had been mildly curious about him when it was revealed that he’d transferred to their team. Her first impression was that he was as fucked up as the rest of them and that he was too obsessively focused on the game to be of much interest to her outside of it. He’d annoyed her when he bossed them all around on the court. He’d pissed her off when he’d gotten in her way, when he’d critiqued all of their playing. 

They only ever spoke in the context of the court. If they were the subject of jokes and teasing, neither of them responded. They didn’t “hang out” unless Matt or Dan or Nicky coerced them into coming to a party, or the team ended up in one person’s dorm playing card games or eating dinner. Even then, they hadn’t really been a cohesive team until Neil arrived. Before that, there were always two clear factions - the girls and Matt and Seth, and the monsters. 

But Allison’s mind supplied her with the memory of a particular game they’d played. She didn’t remember against which team now, but it had been a tough one. She’d played hard. After a successful pass she’d made, Kevin had nodded at her in appreciation. After the game, he’d looked at her and said, “You were great out there today. You’re a strong player, Allison.”

It was the first real compliment he’d ever given her. Pitiful, as compliments go, and Allison wasn’t even sure she’d consider it a real one. Coming from Kevin, it meant next to nothing. She’d rolled her eyes at him for it. 

But she realized now that from him, it wasn’t a throwaway thing to say. He’d meant it. 

There had been small, insignificant moments between them before and after that - moments that weren’t even moments (that word implied more significance) but really just gestures. Allison had been wiped out after Kevin had pushed them too hard at a practice once, and he’d handed her a water bottle and a towel. She’d hurt herself during a game once, twisting her ankle, and he’d helped walk her off the court. She’d locked herself out of her room once, and neither Renee or Dan had been around to help her, so Kevin let her stay in his room until they got back to let her in. But all of this was no more than any other teammate would’ve done for her. 

They’d had maybe one conversation that stuck with Allison - she’d been writing an essay on the history of fashion for one of her classes, focusing on trends in a certain era. Kevin, a History major, had read over it when she was done. He’d seemed impressed by it. They’d started talking about the era Allison wrote about, and they’d talked - and argued - for almost an hour. 

Only a handful of interactions with Kevin to measure their relationship by, but Allison realized it didn’t matter. She’d been with Seth. He’d been with Thea. They hadn’t ever really been available to each other, even if they thought of each other in that way. It hadn’t occurred to them as a possibility, and why would it?

Things were different now. 

But Allison thought about the timing again. She was graduating soon. She didn’t want to be someone’s girlfriend, especially at this time in her life. And she was sure Kevin wasn’t ready for another relationship yet, either. 

But they could be friends. They could be . . . something. 

Something.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS FIC IS DONE NOW so I'm just gonna dump the rest of the chapters all on here today!
> 
> HERE COMES THE SMUT (for something that I originally intended to be a short fic that was only smut, this is literally like one of only two chapters with it and the rest is plot LMAO SORRY)

“Kevin Day! Miss Reynolds didn’t tell me you would be accompanying her!” The head coach of the Los Angeles Sharks was very pleasantly surprised and flustered by Kevin’s presence in his stadium. Kevin’s charm was immediately turned on, teeth flashing as he smiled and shook Coach Jameson’s hand. 

“It was a last-minute decision,” Kevin explained, patting the coach on the back like they were old friends. “But I’m glad to be here. I’m just along as moral support, but I figured I’d come say hi.”

“I take it that means you won’t also be considering a spot on our team after graduation?” Coach Jameson asked regretfully, which made Allison barely restrain her eye-roll. 

“Unfortunately not, sir. I’ve still got a year left to go, but my spot with the US Court is secure. I appreciate the offer, but I’m considering professional teams that are a bit closer to home.”

“Of course, I understand.” The coach nodded somberly, though clearly disappointed by the let-down. He turned to Allison with a beaming smile. “Miss Reynolds, though! We’re so glad you decided to come check us out - my assistant coach and I have watched some tape of the Foxes, and we’re both impressed by your playing. That championship last spring!” He whistled, grinning. “What a game. You’re certainly a powerhouse. We think you’d make an excellent addition to the team.”

“I’m still deciding,” Allison reminded him. “But you’re in the top two.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, what made you consider us in the first place?”

“California is where I’m planning to relocate after graduation, particularly L.A. You’re the local team, so it made the most sense, but your national ranking is in the top twenty, as well. I want to play for a strong team. One that will win.”

She also wanted to play for a team filled with people that had as much heart and soul and passion as her Foxes, but she didn’t mention that. She could decide that on her own from watching them play and interact with each other. 

“Excellent. Well, we’re honored. Let me give you a tour of our facilities here.” 

She and Kevin followed along behind the coach as he guided them through the stadium. It was big, certainly impressive, but Allison wasn’t seeing anything she hadn’t already seen before. 

When she and Kevin watched the team scrimmage, they stood on the sidelines, arms crossed as they observed silently. A few times, Kevin leaned down to whisper critiques in her ear, and Allison couldn’t help smirking. She saw the coach eye them nervously a couple times, and it made her laugh. 

“I told you, the Sharks are a laughable excuse for a team,” Kevin whispered, his lips brushing her hair. “They’re good, but they don’t play to their full potential. Their teamwork is shoddy. They don’t communicate as much as they should. Sure, they’re in the top 20, but they’re in the bottom half of that.”

All true. Kevin used to be obnoxious when he ragged on everyone like this, but Allison just found it amusing now. 

By the time they left the Sharks stadium, the West Coast sun was high and blazing in the sky, beating down on them from above. Allison put her sunglasses on and dug out the keys to the rental car she’d purchased for the trip. It wasn’t pink, but it was still a convertible, which she appreciated. Kevin slid into the passenger seat beside her.

It had been an awkward few days while they settled into the hotel, especially when Allison realized she’d forgotten to make an adjustment to her reservation and there was only one bed in her room, but now they were comfortable, almost familiar with each other. They talked more. There was no dancing around each other, no avoiding each other. Kevin seemed like a different person in the California sun. Freer. 

“So. I know you think they’re not worth my time,” Allison said as she started them on the road back to the hotel. “But why shouldn’t I play for them?” She knew she wasn’t going to - she just wanted to hear what Kevin would say.

“They wouldn’t appreciate you,” he said, not looking at her. “The team is full enough already, you’d likely be benched most of the time. And besides that, none of them match up to your level of playing.”

Satisfied and a little proud, Allison smiled. 

“So you think the Lightning will be better.” They were set to drive down to San Diego tomorrow in the afternoon. 

“Much,” Kevin said. “They’re impressive. It’s a smaller team, and a couple of their players have made it to Court in the past. They’re tough.”

“I like their uniforms better,” Allison said, which made Kevin scoff. She smirked. “The colors would look nicer on me than the Sharks’.” 

“Well, there you have it, then,” Kevin said sardonically. “Decision made.”

“I still don’t know if I’ll keep playing Exy.” He’d seemed to have forgotten that.

He was quiet for a minute, the warm air blowing both their hair back as Allison drove through downtown L.A. She hadn’t sighted any celebrities yet, not that she was paying much attention. 

“I think you’re too good of a player to give it up,” Kevin finally said. “You’ve worked too hard.”

It felt monumental, from him. He knew very little about Allison’s past, but he knew enough. 

“Thank you,” she said, quiet enough that her words were almost whisked away by the wind. “But Exy isn’t the be-all-end-all for me like it is for you or Josten. I love being a Fox. I love the rush of playing, the adrenaline of it, but I would be okay with giving it up when I leave Palmetto.” Because she knew that she would’ve done what she set out to do - proven to herself, and maybe even her parents, that she was fucking great, and she could make it. “And I don’t think I’ll ever find another team I can be a family with as much as the Foxes are.”

Kevin nodded. “I get it.” He shrugged. “It just feels like a shame to me to see your talent go to waste.”

“I know you don’t say that lightly,” Allison said. “And I appreciate it.” 

“You’re welcome,” he said, finally sliding his eyes to her. He smiled. A smile from Kevin Day felt rare and precious, and Allison didn’t know what to do with it. 

She drove the rest of the way back to the hotel feeling like she was walking a tightrope, her stomach fluttering, threatening to bottom out from under her.

*

Neither of them meant for it to happen. 

Allison knew that - it wasn’t intentional, on either of their parts. It just happened. And the worst part was, neither of them had been drinking. 

He’d been talking about  _ his _ plans for after graduation, even though he had some time left. He’d talked about Court, and Neil and Andrew, and how he thought their lives were intertwined forever now and that was probably the best thing for Kevin. 

He’d talked, briefly, about Thea. 

Allison had sat there and listened to him. She didn’t think Kevin had talked about any of this at length to anyone, not even Bee. She didn’t know what he’d discussed with the team’s counselor if not any of this, but it felt like Kevin had been keeping things in for a while, and he needed someone to listen. So she listened. She’d done it for Seth; she would do it for Kevin. 

The sky was dark outside their hotel room, the lights of the city glittering in the window, the Pacific Ocean not far away. They hadn’t actually hit the beach yet, but Allison was planning on getting a tan at some point. 

“It scares me sometimes,” Kevin was saying, “how much . . . happier I feel. Is that weird, to be scared to be happy?” He looked at her, green eyes earnest and open, and Allison’s heart cracked. 

“No,” she said softly. She was laying on the bed next to him, not touching, just watching him and listening to him talk. She wasn’t even sure how the conversation had started, but it had been going for a while, and she didn’t want it to stop. “You’re afraid it will be taken away again.”

“Yeah,” Kevin said, nodding slowly. “That part of my life - Riko and the Ravens - ” He paused to gather himself. Allison knew it was still difficult for him to talk about, with good reason. “It feels like it happened to someone else now. Being a Fox, having a relationship with my father, without any of the darkness hanging over me is . . . still hard to accept, sometimes.”

They’d ordered room service, and the remains of their meals sat on the nightstand, plates mostly clean. They’d shared a fruit plate for dessert (Kevin insisted on the healthier option). Kevin sipped his water before he spoke again, sighing. 

“Thea and I broke up because I realized I couldn’t . . . she was a Raven. She was so deeply twisted up with my trauma, with everything I went through at Evermore, that it just couldn’t ever be a healthy relationship. I don’t even think I know what a real relationship with a woman is supposed to be like,” he said, his voice quieter. “Outside of sex, I mean. And sex with her was always . . .” He grimaced and shook his head. “Sorry. You don’t want to hear this.”

Allison shrugged. “I don’t mind. If you need to talk about it, don’t let me stop you.”

He looked at her then, his face half-illuminated by the low light from the lamp on the nightstand. His queen chess piece tattoo stood out, and without thinking, Allison raised her fingers to it. 

Kevin closed his eyes. 

“I know it stays with you,” she said. “And it probably will, for a long time. But you don’t have to let it define you. That part of your life is over. You deserve to be happy, Kevin. You deserve to heal.”

That was what being a Fox had become about. Healing. Overcoming all their demons. Fighting because they didn’t know how to die quietly. 

“I know that, in my head,” Kevin said. “It’s just hard.”

“I know,” Allison said gently. She took her hand away from his face, but Kevin caught it, grasping her fingers. He looked at her so openly that Allison felt like she wanted to run and hide, but she pushed that feeling away. 

“Allison,” he said. He leaned forward. Allison didn’t move away. 

Allison didn’t know what she expected to happen when they kissed, but there were no fireworks. She’d never believed in fireworks anyway. What she did believe in was the fluttering in her stomach, the way her skin tightened in awareness, the way her heart sped up and she felt poised on the edge of a precipice. 

“Should we be doing this?” Kevin asked against her lips as his hand raised to cup her face. 

“Definitely not,” Allison said, and kissed him again. She threw all her inhibitions out the window and went with it; it was like her brain short-circuited, and she just decided to say fuck it. Who cared if she was graduating in five months? They could just sleep together once and it didn’t have to mean anything. They could still be friends. With benefits. 

“Do you want to stop?” Kevin asked her, his lips on her neck now. She closed her eyes and tilted her head to give him better access. 

“No,” Allison said, gripping his shirt in her hands. “Don’t ask me again.” If he did, it would give her a chance to change her mind. 

He laughed. “Okay.” 

A laugh from Kevin Day, just like a smile, felt even more precious. 

If Allison tried to pinpoint the exact moment when her feelings for him had started to change, or if she tried to figure out when exactly she’d realized she was attracted to him enough that she wanted to pursue it, she would fail, so she didn’t try. What mattered was that they were alone here, in a hotel room in California, and no one knew Kevin had come with her on this trip besides Wymack and Abby. No one on the team would have to know. 

“No one finds out about this,” she warned him as she swung her legs over his and straddled his lap, pulling her shirt over her head. 

Kevin shrugged, and she didn’t focus on the flash of something like disappointment in his eyes. She didn’t like what that meant. “Whatever you want.”

“Good. Now kiss me again.”

Kevin did as he was told, sitting up to hold her bare waist as his lips met hers. He was a fucking great kisser. Of course he was. He tasted like the fruit they’d shared for dessert, sweet and tart.

She pulled his shirt off and tossed it aside so she could get her hands on his chest. Some stupid hormonal part of her had always wanted to touch Kevin Day’s abs, feel his muscles under her hands, and she was not let down. She raked her nails over his skin, and Kevin held her tighter. 

Allison was usually bossy in bed. At least, Seth had always said so. She liked to take control. But she thought that with the right partner, she might be willing to switch things up. She’d just never met anyone who she trusted or liked enough to give herself up to them completely. She’d trusted Seth, to a point, but there had only been a couple times where she’d let him be the dominant one. 

She had no idea what Kevin would be like. No idea what to expect. 

A part of her thought he was the gentle type. Soft. Attentive. She liked guys like that, guys who only paid attention to her, who were focused on making sure she got her pleasure the right way. 

“What do you like?” Kevin whispered in her ear, his hand pushing her hair back from her face. He hadn’t really touched her yet - he kept his hands around her waist as they made out, unsure of himself. She could feel him getting harder underneath her from where she was sitting on his lap, slowly grinding her hips against him, and Allison hoped he wouldn’t recoil when she made her first request. Seth had never liked doing this all that much. 

“Go down on me,” she said, biting his earlobe lightly. 

There was no hesitation. “Yeah.” Kevin’s voice was suddenly husky, his breathing a little heavier. His hands tightened on her waist. 

Without warning, he took control, rolling them so that he hovered over her. He was strong. Allison reached behind her to take her bra off, flinging it away from the bed. Kevin kissed her neck, making his way down to her chest. Her hands fisted in his hair as he took one breast in his hand, the other in his mouth. 

Damn it, he was good at this. 

He sucked on each of her nipples one at a time, massaging and caressing her breasts softly. So he was a boobs guy. It was a refreshing change - Seth had been an ass guy. 

_ Stop comparing him to Seth,  _ Allison scolded herself. Seth had been good, when they were together. Kevin wasn’t any better or worse - just different. 

If she thought about Seth too much, she’d start to feel guilty, and she would tell Kevin to stop. But this was allowed. It had been over a year. She was allowed to move on, to do this again. It had been so long since she’d done this, and God, she missed it. She wanted to feel this again. 

Allison pushed Kevin’s head down, and he went willingly, settling himself between her open legs as he wrapped his arms around her thighs. He pulled her pajama shorts off with her underwear, not bothering to do it one at a time. Allison didn’t feel shy or anything like embarrassed. She bared herself to him easily. He kissed her thighs, then her stomach. Allison was glad she’d decided to get a wax before coming to California. 

Kevin spread her open with two fingers, and then she felt his tongue on her clit. She let out a soft moan and clenched her toes. Yeah, she’d really missed this. 

And she was right - Kevin was attentive. He went slowly, pushing his tongue inside her and taking his time with her clit. He didn’t need any lessons on this. 

“I don’t like fingers in me too much,” she told him when she felt him tracing up and down her wet slit. “What you’re doing is fine, and you can rub my clit, but warn me if you’re gonna finger me.”

“I won’t if you don’t like it,” he said, kissing her thigh again. His face was flushed, his lips wet when he looked up at her. His eyes were hazy when they traveled up her body, over her still-sensitive breasts. “God, you’re beautiful.”

Warmth spread through her body, making her back arch. Allison bit her lip and hid her face in the pillow. 

“I don’t mind other things inside me,” she said. “Objects. Just for future reference.”

“Good to know,” Kevin said. He returned to his task with more vigor than before, finally making Allison cry out, muffling her voice in the pillow. She trembled. She was so wet. She’d barely even masturbated since Seth died - maybe once a month, but now she realized it had been even less than that. She hadn’t felt horny like this in a long, long time. She’d almost forgotten what sexual attraction felt like, but Kevin was turning her on and making her remember why she loved this so much. 

She could let him eat her out forever, but she did actually want to get fucked tonight. She let it go on for another five minutes until she felt herself losing control, and then she pulled Kevin’s head up.

“I have a condom,” she said, untangling her legs from where they’d been wrapped around Kevin’s head. “In my bag.”

She hadn’t brought it with any sort of mind to actually use it; she just never traveled anywhere without one. It was a habit she’d gotten into after she started seeing Seth, and she’d just never broken it. 

Kevin didn’t hesitate, which made Allison feel better. He was just as caught up in this as she was. If they both ended up thinking it was a mistake later, they’d both be at fault. 

Kevin pulled away to retrieve the condom from her bag by the chair in the room, and he pulled off his shorts and underwear. His cock was as impressive as Allison had thought it would be; decent size and length, thick, and hard for her. He ripped open the condom and sheathed himself easily. Allison got up on her knees, raising an eyebrow at him. 

“I want to ride you,” she said. It was one of her favorite positions. She liked being on top.

Idly, she wondered if Kevin would ever let her peg him.

That was a question for another time.

“Yeah, whatever you want.” Kevin laid down on the bed, letting her straddle him again. Allison closed her eyes at the sensation of his cock pressing against her naked cunt. She let her head fall back, her hair falling over her shoulders. Her skin was hot, slightly sweaty, but she felt good. All her nerves tingling, every part of her very aware of where she and Kevin touched. 

She reached down to lift Kevin’s cock, positioning herself above it. Kevin helped her, putting his hands on her waist again. He pushed himself into her, slowly. Allison closed her eyes and gasped. She remembered very keenly what this felt like now. It was warm, thick and full, and Allison gripped Kevin’s shoulders as he went deeper, until their skin met again and he was fully inside her. 

He kissed her, pulling her chin down. He was soft with it, sweet. Allison started raising her hips and pushing them back down, riding him slowly. One of Kevin’s hands found its way between them and rubbed her clit gently as he thrust into her, meeting her movements. Allison’s thighs clenched around him. She might not last long like this. 

“Fuck,” Kevin groaned as Allison squeezed around him and didn’t let up. “Fuck, Ally, you’re incredible.”

Ally. No one had ever called her that before, not even Dan or Renee. She’d never had a nickname. 

She put her hand over Kevin’s mouth so he wouldn’t talk. His eyes lifted to hers. He looked entranced. Hypnotized. 

She slipped a minute later, when Kevin took control and started fucking her harder. She moaned without caring if their neighbors in the hotel could hear, and she may have accidentally called Kevin baby. 

He liked it, though, getting more aggressive the louder Allison got. They’d switched positions - she was riding him backwards now, his chest pressed to her back and his hands on her breasts as he fucked her from behind. He sucked a hickey into her neck, whispering things in her ear she could barely understand. 

The boy knew how to pay attention to the clit. Allison had to push his hand away a few times, knowing she was about to come and wanting to prolong it. She wanted him to eat her out again, too. She wanted to sit on his face. 

“I’m close,” Kevin warned her suddenly, clutching her against him. They switched positions again, Allison on her back this time and her legs wrapped around Kevin’s waist as he fucked her deep. She fisted her hands in Kevin’s dark, messy hair and kissed him hard when he came, filling the condom inside her. He didn’t stop fucking her for another couple minutes after that, his movements slower, more languid. 

“We’re not done, big boy,” Allison said, squeezing Kevin’s ass before he pulled out of her. “I didn’t come.”

He was clearly tired, but he grinned, which was a good sign. Allison patted his cheek as he pulled out, took the condom off, tied it and threw it in the wastebasket. He got back on the bed with her, nuzzling her neck and kissing her softly. When Allison whispered her request in his ear, he groaned and nodded. 

She smiled, adjusting herself so she was sitting on him again, but this time she moved up, until her cunt was over his face and she could grip the headboard over the bed. Kevin brushed his hands over her skin before he settled them on her ass. Allison lowered herself down until his mouth was on her again, and Kevin went to work. 

It was slow this time, because he was drawing it out. Allison began a torturous climb to orgasm as Kevin’s tongue licked into her and he sucked on her clit. She was so, so fucking wet. 

“Oh God,” she cried out, trembling as she tried to hold herself up. Her hands had a white-knuckled grip on the headboard. “Fuck, right there.”

Kevin took the encouragement and ran with it, doubling his efforts. Allison gave him no warning when she finally, finally felt the orgasm hit her. Waves of pleasure rocked her body, spreading through her until it made her toes curl. 

Allison moved off of Kevin and collapsed next to him on the bed, closing her eyes as the aftershocks ran through her. Her entire body felt sensitive, but she didn’t stop Kevin when he went back to kissing her neck gently, his arm slung across her stomach, fingers tracing patterns in her skin. His eyes were closed, and he was catching his breath, looking utterly content and relaxed beside her. 

Allison expected a post-sex freakout to hit her, because oh my God she’d just fucked Kevin Day, but no feelings of panic or regret came. Yet. 

“Want a blowjob?” she asked him, thinking it was only fair. 

“You don’t have to,” Kevin said with a chuckle. Allison shrugged. 

“I will, in the shower.”

“Okay.” He opened his eyes and looked at her, reaching his hand up to tuck a long lock of blonde hair behind her ear. His hand was gentle and caressing on her flushed cheek. “That was . . .”

Allison didn’t want to let his ego go to his head, so she shrugged and didn’t finish his sentence. Kevin laughed. 

“It was amazing,” he said. 

“I’m surprised you like going down on girls,” Allison said. “Not many guys do.”

“They don’t know what they’re missing.” He kissed her softly. “You taste good.”

A shiver went down her spine, and she pushed one of her legs in between his, running her toes over his calf. 

“This doesn’t have to stay in California,” Allison said without thinking about it. “If you want it to happen again when we get back to Palmetto . . . I won’t say no.”

“But no one can find out,” Kevin said, as if double-checking to see if she’d changed her mind. He still looked slightly sad about that, and the feelings that stirred in Allison were too deep for her to examine. 

“Right,” she said. “Until or unless I change my mind.”

She left that open for him, and his eyes brightened. She tried not to smile. Really, the only reason she wanted to keep it a secret was just because of the jokes and teasing she knew she’d have to face from the other Foxes if they found out. But Allison was strong enough to handle it, and she knew she could put a stop to it as soon as it started. 

“So we’re . . . friends now?” Kevin asked. 

“With benefits,” Allison amended. 

He nodded. 

He looked happy, not afraid to be so, and Allison let herself feel happy, too. 

*

They visited San Diego the next day. The Lightning was a far better team than the Sharks, and Allison knew if she decided to keep playing Exy, San Diego was the team she would play for. It was easy. Now she just had to figure out if she wanted to pursue fashion or a professional sports career. 

They hit the beach after their tour of the Lightning stadium. Allison stretched out on her pink towel in the sun while Kevin covered her in sunscreen, rubbing it into the spots she couldn’t reach. She wore a white bikini, and she didn’t miss the way Kevin looked at her in it. 

He seemed to like the ocean, spending more time in the water than she did. It was a nice little thing to know about him that she didn’t think anyone else on the team did. 

She’d thought Kevin seemed like a different person under the California sun, and he was. He laughed more, smiled more. No one really recognized him - in the land of stardom and fame and fortune, college sports weren’t as big of a deal. The coach of the Lightning knew who he was, of course, and all of the players, and most of them were starstruck. 

He didn’t complain when Allison wanted to go shopping on Rodeo Drive. They  _ did  _ see a celebrity or two there - Allison thought she saw a woman who looked like the girl from  _ Fifty Shades of Grey,  _ and Kevin’s eyes widened when they were in the same store as a famous handsome actor from one of those blockbuster superhero movies. When he thought he saw Will Smith, he gripped Allison’s arm so tight he almost left a bruise. 

They got ice cream on the boardwalk, licking soft-serve from waffle cones. They went to dinner at a beachside restaurant near their hotel. And when they got back, Allison put on the one pair of nice matching lingerie she’d packed for the trip, and Kevin fucked her against the wall of their room. 

He didn’t mind going with her to visit the fashion companies she’d set up meetings with. Allison told him he could stay behind and have a day to himself in L.A, but he didn’t seem to want to. He wanted to be with her. 

He asked her questions about her future, her fashion design dreams. He seemed enthusiastic about the idea of an athleisure line. Allison showed him her notebook where she’d been sketching ideas since freshman year.

They were never bored. They were comfortable around each other, at ease. They had real conversations. Allison found out his favorite color was green, but dark green, like a forest. She’d known he was a health nut, obsessed with getting the right amount of protein and nutrients, but she discovered he secretly loved cheeseburgers and fries. He loved fruit smoothies. His favorite fruit was strawberries. He was a dog person. He wanted kids, maybe just one. He had no plans for the future other than playing for the Court and winning gold at the Olympics with Neil and Andrew by his side, but if he could be anything besides an Exy player, he’d want to be a historian and make documentaries about his favorite little-known historical figures. Maybe when he retired from Exy.

Kevin knew Allison’s favorite color was pink, but he also learned that she secretly loved yellow. It made her happy. He discovered why her middle name was Jamaica. He learned that her favorite musician was Britney Spears because she’d grown up listening to Britney and when she was younger she’d wanted to be her. He found out she loved 80’s teen coming-of-age movies, and that her favorite TV show was  _ Project Runway.  _ She adored bunny rabbits and wanted to own one. Candy was her weakness, particularly pink Starburst. She didn’t have any tattoos like him, but she wanted a few. She had a Pinterest board of ideas for her dream house. In total, over five years, she’d made almost $3,000 off the other Foxes in bets. Before she graduated she was planning to donate it to Wymack to put back into the team. 

In California, it felt like they were in their own world, and Allison couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like when they had to return to Palmetto. How different things would be. 

They only had two days left in L.A, and it felt like it wasn’t enough time. She was still getting to know this version of Kevin, and she didn’t want it to stop. 

“What do you want to do tonight?” Kevin asked her as they relaxed by the outdoor pool at their hotel. 

“I’ll let you decide,” Allison said, waving her hand in the air. “Since I dragged you shopping.”

“I didn’t hate shopping,” Kevin said. “I got a couple nice things.”

As it turned out, Kevin was almost as materialistic as Allison. She might’ve known that already, but it pleased her to no end to watch Kevin browse meticulously through the designer sportswear in every store they went into. He was mostly a Nike man. Allison liked Adidas better, and they’d gotten into a heated discussion about which company had better products. Kevin was aiming for a Nike sponsorship when he graduated; apparently, they’d already reached out to him (and Neil) to model for them. 

“We could go to a club,” Allison suggested. “There are more than a few in downtown L.A.” 

So far, while they’d been in California, Allison hadn’t seen Kevin touch a drop of alcohol. He’d been drinking water or fruit juice, nothing else. She didn’t know if going out to a club like Eden’s would tempt him, and she didn’t want to be responsible for that decision. 

But Kevin looked like he liked the idea. He nodded. “Yeah, let’s do it. Which one?”

“Let’s do some research.” Allison picked up her phone and opened the search engine. She left the final decision up to Kevin, who picked a nightclub that had great reviews from local partygoers. Allison already knew what she was going to wear. 

When she put it on later that night, she didn’t miss Kevin’s look of appreciation. She wore a two-piece set, a white miniskirt and tube top that would glow under the club’s blacklights. She put her hair up in a stylish ponytail to keep it off the back of her neck, did her makeup in multicolored rainbow hues, and wore strappy heels on her feet. She knew she looked good. 

Kevin wore a v-neck and white shorts - a lot of the reviews of the club had suggested wearing white, so it would look cool under the lights. The shorts looked nice on his legs, and Allison liked the way the shirt dipped down. Kevin had styled his hair just a little and he looked good. Instagram-worthy, but Allison couldn’t take any pictures of him. That is, she couldn’t post any. 

She could take them, though. Just to have on her phone. 

Kevin didn’t protest when she held up her phone with a smile. 

They ordered a car to take them to the club, and there was a line outside the door when they got there. But they didn’t have to wait long. The entry fee was a little exorbitant, but Allison paid it, and their hands were stamped with glowing blue ink. 

Kevin took her hand as they went inside, their fingers tangled together. 

Later, Allison wouldn’t even remember the name of the club - only the way she and Kevin danced, and how good it felt. 

His hands on her hips, her ass pressed against him, his body behind hers as the music took over them. Kevin’s lips went to Allison’s neck and stayed there for most of the night; his hands explored, touching her gently everywhere he could reach. The music was good, pulse-pounding and electric, and Allison let herself go. She took a few pictures under the club lights, but mostly, she kept her phone in the pocket of Kevin’s shorts and just danced. She loved dancing. She’d taken a few dance classes at Palmetto as extracurriculars, and they’d always been her favorites. 

She didn’t know how long they stayed there under the lights, but by the time Allison checked her phone again, it was well past midnight, and she was buzzing. She looped her arms around Kevin’s neck and kissed him. He kissed her back eagerly, his arms wrapping around her waist. They weren’t the only people showing PDA on the dance floor, so they didn’t get too many complaints, and Allison wasn’t shy about it. 

“Let’s go back to the hotel,” she said against Kevin’s mouth. 

“Let’s fuck in the bathroom,” Kevin said. Allison laughed. 

“God, no. I like you, but not that much.” She was better than having sex in a dirty public bathroom. 

Kevin laughed too, and she led him by the hand towards the club’s exit. They ordered another car to take them back to their hotel, and Allison pushed Kevin away to keep the middle seat between them with an eyebrow raised. He looked betrayed.

When he let his hand rest on the middle seat, though, Allison let her pinky finger touch his.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the rest of this fic will probably seem rushed, maybe a little disjointed, but I just really really wanted to finish it and have it out of my hair so I didn't really read back through anything I wrote. I apologize for that but I have to move on to other fics. I think I'm okay with how I wrote it and finished it but if y'all think it seems rushed or anything like that be honest! I welcome comments

Palmetto’s campus was empty when Allison and Kevin arrived back. The sudden revert back to cold winter weather made them both shiver uncontrollably - two weeks in temperate climate where it never went below 70 degrees and the sun was always shining was a shock to the system. 

They’d both been quiet on the plane ride back to South Carolina. They’d woken up naked in bed together on the morning of their departure. Allison had shared a silent look with Kevin; they’d both smiled at each other, and that was it. Now things were awkward - Allison could feel a tension in the air that she didn’t like. She thought she’d made things clear. They were friends with benefits now, and the team wasn’t even on campus to see them, anyway. There was no reason to act differently around each other.

But Kevin shuffled along beside her with his hands in his pockets, looking at the ground. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked him. He looked up, eyes wide, and shook his head, giving her a grin she didn’t believe. 

“Nothing,” he said. “Just don’t know what I’m gonna do for the rest of winter break.”

She gave him a look. “Train the freshmen, like you were gonna do anyway.”

“Right.”

“Wymack and Abby are having Christmas, right? So you’ll celebrate with them.”

“Yeah.”

“And aren’t Andrew and Neil gonna be back in time to join?” She couldn’t remember where they’d gone on their international trip, but she knew they’d decided to come back to Palmetto to celebrate the holidays with their family. They were supposed to get in on Christmas Eve. 

“Yeah, they are,” Kevin said. 

“So then why are you being mopey?”

“I’m not being mopey,” he snapped at her. 

Allison sighed. She thought she knew what this was about, and she’d been afraid of it. “Kevin, if you can’t act right about this, we can’t sleep together again.”

She ignored the tiny part of her stomach that dropped at those words, and the defiant beating of her heart. 

“How am I supposed to act?” He was annoyed now, glaring at her. This was more like the Kevin she knew. 

“Like we’re friends, and not like I’m your girlfriend.” She hated saying it, but she had to. She’d laid the ground rules back in California, and Kevin had agreed with her. This wasn’t supposed to happen. 

“So you regret California?” His eyes were downcast, a frown on his face. Jesus Christ.

“Did I say that?” Allison looked at the sky. This. This was why she hadn’t been with anyone since Seth. It was too complicated. She knew she was capable of having a no-strings-attached fling, but she could never count on her partner. “Kevin, I told you this. Friends with benefits. You said you were okay with that.”

“I am,” Kevin said, but Allison shook her head. 

She spared a thought for the Kevin she’d gotten to know in L.A, because she didn’t know when she’d get the chance to see that Kevin again. But they needed space now. Allison was glad she was spending Christmas with Renee and Stephanie. She needed to clear her head, and Kevin obviously needed to clear his. Hopefully, throwing himself back into Exy would help. 

“Would you be acting this way if it was Neil?” she asked, the question slipping out unbidden. 

“What?”

“If you’d had sex with Neil, would you still be acting like this?”

Kevin sputtered, blushing fiercely. “What - I don’t - why does that matter? Why are you asking me that?”

Allison shrugged. “Just a question.” She’d always gotten the vague sense that Kevin might be bisexual, and this pretty much confirmed her hunch. She wondered if Kevin had ever said the word aloud or even admitted it to himself. She wasn’t going to push him to come out - it wasn’t her business - but she liked being proven right. 

“Look, I’m sorry.” Kevin sighed, shoulders slumping. He was still blushing; the question about Neil caught him way off guard. Allison didn’t even really know why she’d asked it, only that it occurred to her in a random second of curiosity. “I don’t know - maybe it was too soon after Thea, so that’s why I’m . . . being weird. I don’t know. But I’m fine with being friends, Allison.”

She still didn’t know if she believed him, but he looked genuine. Less hangdog. So she nodded. 

“Okay,” she said. “Good.” After a pause, she said, “California was fun. I’m glad you came with me.”

“Yeah. Me too.” He smiled at her, eyes sparkling. “And I’m glad I could be a part of that. Helping you figure out your future. It means a lot.”

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

But she didn’t tell him it meant a lot to her, too. 

*

_ Merry Christmas. _

She got the text when Christmas Day was almost over. Presents had been exchanged and opened, the meal had been eaten, and she and Renee were curled up on the couch with Stephanie, watching the Walkers’ favorite holiday movie. It was snowing outside, to add the perfect ending to what had been a perfect day. Allison usually didn’t put too much stock into holidays, but this one had been nice. She and Renee made several different kinds of cookies. They FaceTimed Dan and Matt for over an hour. It was nice. The Walkers’ house was always a warm place, and Allison felt at home there. 

When her phone buzzed, she tilted the screen slightly away from Renee’s view. Kevin’s name was on her screen. The Fox group chat had been lighting up all day with pictures and holiday well-wishes, but this was the first individual text Kevin had sent her since they’d parted ways several days ago. Kevin drove her to the airport for her flight out to Renee and Stephanie.

She texted him back,  _ Merry Christmas :)  _

He sent her a picture of Abby’s Christmas tree, and a shot of Coach and Abby stealing a kiss under the mistletoe. It was clear they didn’t know Kevin had taken it, and it was sweet. Allison smiled. 

_ At least they don’t try to deny it anymore,  _ she replied. 

_ They stopped trying a while ago,  _ Kevin texted back.  _ I think my dad’s in love with her.  _

Good for them. They deserved it. 

The texts stopped there until days later, when New Year’s rolled around. Allison texted Kevin first this time, wishing him a happy new year, and his reply knocked her off balance. 

_ Wish we were all celebrating together. _

She assumed he meant the Foxes, and she felt bad. He was lonely.

But Andrew and Neil were there with him - Neil had sent pictures - so he wasn’t alone. It made her feel a little better. 

Maybe she would’ve liked to party on New Year’s, go to Eden’s with her team and kiss a stranger at midnight. (Or kiss Kevin). But instead, she kissed Renee’s cheek. 

Nicky initiated a video call with all of them, which was a difficult task, but they made it work, and they all waved at each other and wished each other a happy new year from their screens. 

“Eden’s when we all get back on campus,” Nicky made them promise. “To have our own holiday celebration before the spring semester.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Dan said, leaning against Matt in their square on the screen. 

“It’s your last one,” Matt reminded her. “You should be ecstatic.” 

“Not for the finals and all the work.”

“But I’m excited for our spring season,” Renee said, which made some of the Foxes cheer. Neil had had a little bit to drink, bolder than usual, and he launched into a lecture about how they had to win the championship again. Andrew put a hand over his mouth to shut him up. 

“How was California, Allison?” Katelyn asked. She and Aaron were in the top corner of the screen, both holding glasses of champagne. Dan and Renee had been the first to ask about the trip, then Matt, asking if Allison had seen The Rock. Nicky wanted to know details of Allison’s celebrity sightings and if she’d hooked up with any surfers. 

She felt Kevin’s eyes on her from his portion of the screen. 

“It was fun,” she said. “Sunny.”

“Did you make a decision, then? About what you want to do after graduation?”

“Not yet. I’m giving myself until March.”

“Bets!” Dan said. “Who thinks she’s gonna play Exy, and who says she’ll go into fashion?”

Allison rolled her eyes, but she let this one happen. When it was Kevin’s turn to offer his bet, he stayed silent, though. Allison raised one eyebrow. She thought he would’ve bet that she continued with Exy. 

“Fine, Kevin abstains,” Matt said. “But I have everyone else written down. Allison, give us a date?”

“March 15th,” she said. That was when she would make her decision. 

“Why the 15th?”

“It’s the Ides of March.” A famous day in Roman history, and one of her favorites - the day Julius Caesar was stabbed. Kevin looked impressed that she had that knowledge, and Allison smirked. 

“Oooh,” Nicky said mockingly. 

“Okay! All bets placed. Allison’s future will be our first new one this semester,” Dan said, rubbing her hands together at the prospect of earning more money off her teammates. 

“Guys, we have to go - my cousins want us to say goodnight before they go to bed,” Katelyn said. She blew a kiss to the screen. “Happy New Year everyone! Bye!”

The group video call dispersed after that, all chiming in with “Love you” and “Happy New Year” and “See you guys soon!” before they disconnected. Kevin was the last one to leave. 

“Night,” he said. 

“Goodnight, Kevin.” Renee waved to him and smiled. She got up to go to bed, strategically leaving Allison alone with the computer. 

Renee was too introspective and smart not to know something was going on, but she didn’t ask questions. Allison appreciated that. 

“Why didn’t you bet?” Allison asked Kevin when they were alone. 

He shrugged. “Because I don’t know what you’ll do yet. But I think you’ll surprise everyone.”

“Hm.” She took a sip of her champagne and raised her glass to him. “Happy New Year, Kevin Day.”

He smiled. “Happy New Year, Allison Reynolds.”

“I’ll see you soon,” she said. 

“Yeah. See you.”

They hung up, and Allison went to bed that night feeling pleasantly warm. 

She blamed it on the champagne. 

*

The Foxes’ first game of the spring season was an away game in North Carolina, and they won. They started the season with a vengeance. All of them were more than ready to get back on the court after their winter break - the girls especially. Dan, Renee, and Allison were determined to make this season one of their best, and everybody else knew it. They knew the girls were graduating this year, and it gave this season a little more importance. 

Kevin and Allison hadn’t hooked up again since California. There just hadn’t been any opportunities, or any time. Allison started her last semester already bombarded with work from her classes, final projects and essays. Kevin was busy whipping the team into shape. As the days passed, California started to feel like a daydream, pink skies and too-bright sunshine.

The team noticed a difference - Allison didn’t bicker with Kevin as much. There were less insults and backtalk. There were questions, of course. 

“Were you two replaced by clones over the break?” Nicky asked when Kevin complimented Allison on a play she’d made during practice. 

“Kevin and I are friends,” Allison said, figuring she should dictate the situation before it got out of hand. 

Everyone stared - except Dan and Renee, who looked too smug for Allison’s taste - and looked between Kevin and Allison in confusion. Neil looked like a confused puppy. Andrew had one eyebrow raised in mild interest, staring at Kevin. The freshmen who hadn’t been here long enough to bond all that much with the rest of the team didn’t care, and didn’t react. 

“The girls are graduating this year,” Kevin said, using his authoritative coaching voice. All of a sudden it was distractingly sexy to Allison, which was an unexpected and unwanted development. “And we’ve come too far together for there to be any more animosity on the team. Allison and I never hated each other, but I know there was some tension before. Most of it was probably my fault. We talked over break, and yes, we’re friends now.”

She wanted to protest - it wasn’t all his fault, the tenuous relationship they’d had before; she’d definitely contributed to it as much as he had - but she kept her mouth shut. 

“I don’t know if I like this new Kevin,” Nicky murmured in an aside to Matt, hand to the side of his mouth even though he spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. “He scares me.”

Kevin rolled his eyes, and Allison smirked. 

That was the end of it, but she and Kevin still got looks whenever they exchanged friendly banter. Allison knew the team would implode if they found out she and Kevin had hooked up.

And yet, after their first game of the season, she wasn’t careful about it. Her room at the hotel Wymack had put them up in was right next to Kevin’s. She was sharing with Renee, and Kevin was sharing with Aaron, but most of the Foxes were downstairs in the hotel bar, celebrating their win. Kevin and Allison had been invited to the party, of course, and Allison was planning on going. Later. She knew the Foxes could and probably would go all night. 

She also knew from careful observation over the past several weeks that Kevin had stopped drinking again completely, and his answer to the party invitation had been vague. Allison thought he was still in his room. 

She was still riding on the high of the game - she’d made a few incredible passes, played excellent defense, and the victory had been as sweet as all the others, even more so when Kevin grinned at her from behind his helmet when the buzzer sounded on their win. She knew Kevin was proud of the team for winning their first game back, and he was in a good mood. So was she. 

She didn’t think too much about it. She checked to make sure the coast was clear in the hallway, and then she darted over and knocked on Kevin’s door. When he answered, she pushed him inside and closed the door behind herself. 

“Hi,” she said. 

Kevin’s eyes were bright and hopeful. “What are you doing?”

“What do you think?” She pulled her shirt over her head. 

Kevin’s jersey was on the floor, and five minutes later, Allison found herself wearing it. Only his jersey, with nothing underneath. It was big on her, but she knew it looked sexy, and her long, tanned legs looked good. Kevin practically drooled when she stood in front of him, blonde hair mussed, his number on her chest in white and orange. 

“Come here,” Kevin said huskily, reaching for her. She went willingly, jumping up to wrap her legs around his waist. Kevin hoisted her up like she weighed nothing, kissing her with a smile. 

He ate her out again,  _ very  _ enthusiastically. Oh yeah, he was in a good mood. Allison muffled her moans in the pillow, her toes curling on the white bedsheets. 

When he came up for air, his cock hard and ready for her, he groaned into her neck. “You look so fucking good in my jersey, baby.”

Neither of them froze at the nickname. It felt natural, and Allison didn’t mind it. 

“Knew it would stoke your ego,” she said as Kevin massaged her breasts, his hands under the jersey. 

He laughed into her skin. Allison spread her legs and guided his cock into her. He’d put a condom on quickly, fumbling with it at first in his haste. They were moving quickly - staying up here alone for too long would eventually arouse suspicion from their team. Allison closed her eyes as Kevin pushed into her. 

Missionary was boring, but sometimes it could be fun. Allison lifted her legs to rest them on Kevin’s shoulders. He kept himself up with his arms on either side of her head, leaning down to kiss her as he moved faster, thrust harder. Allison bit his lip and tangled her hands in Kevin’s hair. He was letting it grow out, and it curled around his ears now, perfect for grabbing. 

It was the best kind of fuck - quick and dirty. But Kevin still made sure Allison got her pleasure’s worth. That was what she liked about him as a bed partner. This was the fourth time they’d had sex, and she was never disappointed at Kevin’s ability to give her an orgasm, or at least get her as close to it as possible. 

When he rolled off her and fell next to her on the bed, Kevin kissed Allison’s forehead. It was an unbearably tender moment that left her feeling off-balance. 

“You’re horny after a good game,” she said. “Noted.”

“It’s the adrenaline,” he said, chuckling, and Allison smiled. 

“Sure it is, cowboy.” She swung her legs off the bed and peeled Kevin’s jersey off her, tossing it onto the chair by the window. She stretched her arms over her head and cracked a few joints. “I’m gonna go downstairs with the others. You coming?”

“Would you kill me if I had one drink?”

She looked back at him over her shoulder, analyzing his face. “Can you stop yourself after one?”

He nodded, hand on his chest. “I promise. I’m better than I was before. Coach says if I want to celebrate every once in a while, I should be able to, as long as I have a tolerance.”

She smiled, softening. His answering smile did a funny thing to her heart. “He’s right. You should.”

It didn’t take her long to get cleaned up and ready, but she told Kevin to wait fifteen minutes before he joined the rest of them downstairs. 

She ignored the flash of disappointment in his eyes. 

*

“Is that a  _ hickey _ ?”

Nicky stood too close to Allison, peering at her neck. Allison almost laughed when Andrew’s head shot up across the room and his eyes narrowed, and he made an abortive gesture towards his neck before he stopped himself and curled his fist at his side. Neil’s eyes widened and he blushed before he realized Nicky was talking about Allison. 

But Allison had been careful to cover all of the evidence with makeup, and she knew she didn’t miss any. 

Except it was the end of practice, and she was sweaty. It must’ve rubbed off. 

She shrugged carelessly. “So what if it is?” She looked Nicky straight in the eye, daring him to challenge her. He backed away with his hands up in surrender, but he laughed. 

“Oh my God, Allison is getting laid! Who is it?”

“No one you know,” she said, waving her hand in the air dismissively. “Tinder hookup.”

“You’re on Tinder now?”

“I was always on Tinder. I just never used it when I was with Seth.”

“Oh my God,” Nicky repeated. “I can’t believe this. Fuck.” The look in his eyes meant he wished they’d bet on this, but no one had dared to bet on when Allison would start seeing other people again after Seth died. That was a line no one wanted to cross. She knew some of them had been thinking it, though. Now, she didn’t care. It had been over a year, which was ample enough time for her to move on. 

She didn’t feel so guilty anymore about hooking up with Kevin. She’d spent a few nights working through it on her own, and she’d talked to Bee (without mentioning Kevin). Allison had come to terms with it, for the most part. She would keep her fondest memories of Seth and believe that he would’ve wanted her to be happy. 

“It’s Allison’s business,” Renee said kindly. “We shouldn’t bother her about it.”

“Hey, if she wants to have meaningless Tinder hookups, good for her,” Nicky said. “I just can’t believe you let him give you a hickey.”

The locker room joked about it while the team cooled down from practice. Allison noticed Kevin’s loud silence. And the way he wouldn’t look at her. 

She almost sighed. He’d  _ told  _ her he was okay with the terms of their arrangement. It felt like she was taking one step forward and two steps back with him; he would seem perfectly happy and content whenever they were together, and friendly on and off the court, but then in moments like these he would get mopey again. Allison didn’t want to deal with it. She didn’t want to deal with the emotions that came with it. She’d been good at keeping herself detached so far, keeping her own emotions out of it, and she didn’t want to lose that streak. 

But she didn’t want to stop hooking up with Kevin, either. 

Allison wondered when they’d reach the point of no return.


	6. Chapter 6

On Valentine’s Day, Allison found a package of pink Starburst in her gym bag. There was no note, but it could only have been from Kevin. 

This wasn’t in their agreement. Leaving each other gifts had never been discussed. They hadn’t gotten anything for each other for Christmas. It wasn’t that kind of relationship, and Allison didn’t need it to be. 

But here was a package of her favorite candy hidden inside her bag. 

Kevin’s birthday was on the 22nd of February, just a week away. Now she wondered if she should get him something, if he expected something. What the hell was she supposed to do with this?

She almost threw the Starburst out, but she changed her mind at the last minute and stuffed them deep inside her bag. 

She took them out and ate them one at a time when Renee and Dan weren’t looking, her mind running frantic circles. 

Just before the day was over, she texted him,  _ Thanks for the candy. _

_ Happy Valentine’s Day,  _ was his reply.  _ Don’t freak out. Friends give each other candy all the time. I buy Andrew ice cream almost every week. And I snuck candy into everyone’s bags, so it wouldn’t be weird. I just know those are your favorite. _

Allison smiled. She felt a little better.

_ Happy Valentine’s Day,  _ she replied. 

She thought about adding a heart, but didn’t.

*

_ We’re going to Eden’s for my birthday,  _ Kevin texted her. Allison assumed that meant the whole team. 

_ What time? _

_ Nine, _ he responded. Then,  _ Did you get me anything? _

For a second she panicked, heart racing wild with anxiety, but then Kevin sent,  _ Just kidding. _

_ Fucker, _ she sent back. He sent back a smiley face. 

But Allison kept panicking. 

She hated that she couldn’t stop herself from overthinking it. She was better than this.  _ She  _ was the one who’d said they were friends with benefits. She was the one who was always cool in situations like this, always kept her head. But Kevin fucking Day was turning her upside down, and she didn’t like it. 

Of course she went to Eden’s with the rest of the Foxes, though, and she dressed up in one of her sexier outfits for Kevin’s benefit. There. That was a good birthday present. 

They barely touched all night, but maybe they brushed hands once or twice on the dance floor. And maybe Kevin smiled at her when no one else was paying attention. Maybe Allison smiled back. 

Maybe she kissed him in a dark corner of the club, where no one could see. 

And later, maybe she sent him a naked picture of herself with  _ Happy birthday ;)  _ attached. 

Maybe he replied,  _ I’m so fucking lucky,  _ and she smiled like an idiot at her phone.

God, this was getting bad.

*

“March 15th, Allison. It’s time.”

Matt had approached her in the girls’ room, a grin on his face. She’d expected him to, and she was ready for him. 

They were having pizza and a movie night with the rest of the team, so they were all there, waiting for Allison’s answer to cement their bets. She smirked, pausing for dramatic effect. 

“I have decided . . .” She said, raising her chin. “To do both. Fashion  _ and  _ Exy.”

Nicky groaned. “Did anyone guess that?”

“I did,” Dan said smugly, holding out her hand for the money she was owed. Renee smiled and held out her hand, too. 

So did Kevin. 

Allison had spent the last week thinking long and hard about her future, and what she would do. In the end, it had seemed simple. There wasn’t any reason why she couldn’t do both, and she knew she was capable of it. She could play for the Lightning and have a professional career, and she could work with some of the companies who would sponsor her to design her athleisure line. She might even do some modeling. She didn’t know yet. But she wasn’t worried. Her future felt secure, bright and shining, and at the end of it, maybe a reconciliation with her parents. For now that was just a tiny seed of an idea, but one she hoped she could make grow in a year or two.

“I thought you abstained,” Allison said to Kevin, one blonde brow raised. He shrugged. 

“I went to Matt a week ago and asked if I could buy in.”

She wanted to ask what made him change his mind, but she didn’t. She watched as the other Foxes shelled out the money, emptying their wallets. 

“Which team did you end up choosing?” Neil asked in genuine interest. 

“San Diego Lightning.” 

He nodded in appreciation. “Good. They’re a strong team.”

“Your support means the world,” Allison said dryly, which made Neil grin at her. But really, she did feel a little gratified. 

“I can’t believe you guys are graduating,” Nicky said, suddenly emotional. “Who am I gonna have sleepovers with when you leave?  _ Matt?” _

“Hey, I’ll do facemasks with you,” Matt said. He patted Nicky’s shoulder, and Nicky leaned his head on Matt’s shoulder.

“I guess I’ll keep you company when Dan’s gone,” he said. “Erik won’t mind.”

Matt laughed. “Sure. Dan won’t mind either.”

“He’ll need someone to cuddle with,” Dan said in agreement. “But I’m not going far away, and I’ll be back here as often as I can, so no fooling around where I can see it.”

“Why doesn’t Wymack just give you the assistant coaching job?” Aaron asked as they dug into the pizza. 

“He wants me to get experience with another team under my belt, and I can see where he’s coming from. I don’t mind coaching another team for a couple years.”

“Renee, did you send in your application for the Peace Corps yet?”

“Yes, and I’ve also sent one in to Greenpeace. There are a few other charity organizations I was considering, too.”

“Knew you would end up doing some Mother Theresa shit.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” she said with a peaceful smile. “It’s where I feel I’ll make the most impact.”

“But you’ll miss Exy,” Dan said, pointing a finger at her. Renee laughed. 

“Yes, I’ll miss Exy. And I’ll miss all of you.”

“Maybe there are some kids in Africa you can teach how to play. You’ll be like Kevin’s mom, bringing it to another continent.”

Kevin smiled softly at the mention of Kayleigh, and Renee smiled back. “That’s a nice thought.”

They spread out in the girls’ living room to watch the movie, which was Neil’s pick: a stupid but hilarious dark comedy that had come out last summer. Allison sat at one end of the couch, and Kevin ended up on the floor in front of her. When the lights went out and the movie played, Allison tucked her legs underneath her, and Kevin just subtly leaned his head back against her knees. They shared a bag of popcorn.

She wondered if anyone noticed. 

  
  


*

The day finally came Allison had been dreading for weeks. 

It was April now, and she, Dan, and Renee were swept up in finals, busy with balancing their work and the team. They’d stayed up long nights studying for exams and finishing essays. 

There’d hardly been any time for her and Kevin to sneak around. Whenever they did, it was mostly during away games when they stayed overnight, and there weren’t many of those to begin with. Otherwise, they slept together on Allison’s terms, very sneakily and carefully. So far, no one had found out, and Allison didn’t think anyone suspected. She’d been able to keep using the Tinder excuse, and everyone believed it.

Dan and Renee knew the truth - she’d had to tell them, eventually, but she knew they wouldn’t break her trust and spill her secrets. 

To make up for the lack of physical contact, she and Kevin had been texting regularly, sometimes sexting, sending pictures and videos back and forth. Lately, some of Kevin’s messages had been sounding too emotionally sentimental for Allison. She’d been careful to keep her side of things unaffected, cool and casual. This whole thing was supposed to be casual. She couldn’t afford to have it be anything else, not with finals here and graduation rapidly approaching. 

She’d sent an email to the Lightning’s coach, accepting the offer they’d sent her to play defense on their team. She’d sent her acceptance to the job offer she’d gotten from a widely recognized fashion company in L.A. She was looking for places to live out there now and almost had a lockdown on an incredible studio apartment. 

Nothing could disrupt any of that. She’d thought Kevin understood. 

But then, she got the text after class one day. 

_ Hey. Can we talk? _

Her stomach dropped. She knew what that meant. 

When they were together, Kevin was mostly the ebullient, lighthearted person she’d gotten to know in California. He was soft and tender with her, sweet and funny. The complete opposite of who he was on the court. When they were playing together or hanging out with the team, he was still that version of Kevin, if a little more lenient and laid back. But he was quieter, too. He really only talked to Neil and Andrew - Allison knew by now that they were his best friends, and he confided everything to them. But he hadn’t told them about her. 

She wouldn’t deny that she felt happy with him, carefree. She enjoyed being with him more than she should. She liked his company, found herself wishing they could share a bed some nights or go out somewhere together some days. But she always caught herself off at those thoughts, because she knew they were dangerous. She shoved them away and locked them up tight and didn’t let them distract her.

She was capable of that, taking her feelings out of the picture, but she didn’t know if Kevin was. Allison had noticed a change in him over the last couple of weeks. One she didn’t want to bring up, but she had to. Whenever he got too sappy, too clingy, she had to gently remind him that they weren’t together. They weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend. Kevin always swore he knew that, but Allison was less sure of him with every passing day. 

And now he wanted to talk. 

She brought it up to Dan and Renee when she got the text. 

“Oh no,” Dan said. Renee looked sympathetic. 

“What the fuck am I supposed to do?” Allison stared at her phone, feeling slightly nauseous. “I don’t want to break his heart.”

She’d been afraid of this since the beginning, but she’d thrown all her reservations away and slept with him anyway. Maybe this was all her mistake. 

“You might have to,” Renee said softly, squeezing Allison’s arm in support. “If that’s what you think you need.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to just give it a shot?” Dan asked, her tone cautious. “I know the timing’s off, but you might be surprised, Allison.”

She was quiet. She didn’t know. 

“Look, he hasn’t said anything to me, but I’ve been watching him,” Dan continued. “Even Coach told me Kevin’s been acting differently. Wymack said it’s because he’s healing, moving on from everything he went through with Riko and the Ravens. But I think you’re a part of that.”

Allison glared at her, and Dan held her hands up in surrender. “Shoot me if you want, but I have never lied to you. I’m just calling it like I see it.”

“I have to agree,” Renee said.

Allison groaned at the ceiling, looked at her phone, groaned some more, and then groaned into the couch when she fell onto it facedown. 

Dan laughed and came to lay on top of her. Renee knelt on the floor next to them and rubbed Allison’s head. 

“It’ll be alright,” she said soothingly. “We’re here for you.”

Allison’s words were muffled by the couch cushion, and Dan poked her neck. “What was that?”

Allison turned her head to the side to grumble unhappily, “I like him.”

She couldn’t deny it. She’d never been a fan of lying to herself. She’d always been able to admit the hard truth, but she was usually good at then ignoring that truth if she didn’t like it. She didn’t consider that denial. Just avoidance. 

But they were one and the same, weren’t they?

“Talk to him, Allison,” Renee advised, her voice soft. “Sit down with him and figure out what you both want.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Allison looked at her phone again, fingers hovering over the keyboard to type out her reply. She held her breath and wrote,  _ Meet me at the Fishbone tonight at 8.  _ The Fishbone was a cafe in town off campus, a little higher class and more expensive than the one Palmetto students usually favored. Allison liked their coffee better than Starbucks. She and Kevin were less likely to be spotted there together by anyone they knew.

_ Okay,  _ Kevin replied.  _ See you then. _

Everything was about to take a turn for the worse. Allison didn’t think she could be optimistic about this. 

She knew she had to ‘look inside her heart’ or whatever, reach deep inside herself and pull out all those sticky emotions she preferred to bury under a cool facade, but the prospect of that was daunting. She could count on one hand the number of times she and Seth had had heart-to-hearts or deep conversations about important things. 

Maybe that was the problem. She’d loved Seth, and when they were good, they were  _ good.  _ But they argued more than they told each other they loved each other. Seth had avoided difficult talks. 

Allison sighed into the couch cushions.

Dan patted her back, and Renee squeezed her hand. “Let us know how it goes. I never thought I’d say this, but I’m totally rooting for you guys. Now that I think about it, you’d make a really cute couple.”

“Shut up, Danielle.” 

“Oh, we’re bringing out the ‘Danielle’ now, are we?”

“Get off me.” Allison pushed herself up and rolled over to dislodge Dan from her back, who giggled and screamed when she fell off the couch. Allison grinned victoriously. 

“For what it’s worth, I think Kevin really does like you,” Renee added when Allison stood up. “And I think he wants to try.”

“That makes it worse,” Allison said. If they tried and it didn’t work out, if they tried and all of a sudden she realized she wasn’t into it anymore - which was always likely to happen - she would be the bad guy. And she’d meant what she’d said before. She didn’t want to break Kevin Day’s heart. Not when she felt like she’d just been let into it, and she knew that was a rarity. 

But all the stories and the relationship columns and the real-life testimonies said things like this were worth the risk. 

And Allison had always been a risk-taker.

*

Kevin arrived at The Fishbone five minutes after eight, dressed in running clothes. That must’ve been his excuse for going out. Allison was already there - she’d left fifteen minutes earlier, to avoid suspicion from any errant Foxes who might be watching. 

He approached her with a cautious smile, sitting opposite her at the table she’d picked out in the corner by the window. She had a coffee in hand already, despite the after-dinner hour.

“Hey,” Kevin said. 

“Hi,” she said back. She wanted to start this off before he could get the chance; she would feel better if she had control of the situation. She’d thought about writing down what she wanted to say, but that was stupid. She still didn’t really know what she wanted to say, but she knew it would come to her naturally, and she was confident in her ability to sound collected. She took a deep breath. 

Kevin seemed to sense that she wanted to speak first, because he stayed quiet, making a small gesture with his hands that meant she could talk. It was a sign that he’d gotten to know her too well recently.

“I made things clear when we started this,” she said, trying to keep her tone gentle, not harsh. “We’re not in a relationship, Kevin.” There was no point in beating around the bush; it was better to be forthright, especially with Kevin Day. 

“I know that,” he said, letting out a breath. “But I really, really like you, Allison. I’m not asking for anything you’re not willing to give me. If you don’t want to be with me, that’s fine. I’ll understand and I’ll move on. But I need to put all my cards on the table and tell you how I feel.”

Her heart was in her throat, but she let him continue. His green eyes were too bright, too earnest on hers. “I’m sorry this happened. Really. I know you wanted to keep things casual, but that’s not . . . that’s just not me. I guess because of my relationship with Thea - it went so deep. And I’m not comparing you to her. You’re so, so different from her, in all the best ways. But I’m saying that I don’t know if I’m capable of just doing the friends-with-benefits thing. I thought I was when we started this, but . . .” He trailed off and shrugged apologetically, breaking her gaze. He reached for the salt shaker on the table and played with it to avoid looking at her. 

He looked so sad. Allison felt wretched. She’d been so afraid of this. 

“I like you, too,” she admitted, quietly. When Kevin’s eyes shot to hers again, she held up her hands. “But that doesn’t mean - I’m graduating and moving across the country, Kevin, and you still have another year here. I cannot do the long-distance thing.”

“Can’t, or won’t?” he asked, his eyes downcast. “You won’t even try?”

She closed her eyes and ran her hands through her hair, shaking her head. She felt like she was about to cry, and Allison Reynolds was  _ not  _ a crier. She’d cried twice over Seth, once when she realized he was dead and then after the funeral, when she was alone. Before that, she’d only cried when she was a child. 

“If you like me, and I like you, I don’t think we should just let it go,” Kevin said. “I don’t  _ want _ to. I really want to be with you, Ally. I want the chance, at least.”

There was that nickname again, which he only broke out in tender moments. Allison couldn’t take it. 

She took another deep breath and opened her eyes. 

“Kevin, the timing just isn’t right.” 

She watched his face fall. 

Her heart broke, but she  _ knew  _ this was the right thing to do. For herself, at least. It might hurt, but the toughest decisions always did. 

“I leave for California two weeks after graduation,” she said. “I have all my plans in place. I sent all my acceptances in and I’m about to sign a lease for an apartment. You have summer training with the new freshmen. You won’t have time for me. And I won’t have time for you.”

He nodded, though his expression was miserable. He sighed heavily. “Yeah.”

“Please try to understand where I’m coming from,” she said. “I like you, Kevin, I do. And that is not easy for me to admit, okay? I’m sorry we both caught feelings. I hate it, because yes, maybe I want to try doing the real thing with you. But I can’t right now. Not yet.”

At those words, he smiled softly, though his eyes were still sad. “Not yet?”

She shrugged, smiling back. “When you graduate next year, if you want to come to California, I’ll still be there.”

It was the right thing to say. He perked up, his face softening. She reached across the table and took his hand. 

“I’m sorry,” she said, truly meaning it. He nodded and squeezed her hand. 

“Yeah. Me too.” 

“After I leave,” Allison said, the corner of her mouth lifting in a smirk, “You can drop the bomb to the team that we hooked up.”

Kevin laughed. “So you get to escape the fallout and I have to deal with all the questions?”

“Exactly.” She would be on a plane by the time everyone found out, and she would have the liberty to turn off her phone and ignore the team when they bombarded her. 

“Got it,” Kevin said. He looked mischievous, and Allison narrowed her eyes at him, but he just grinned innocently. 

She sipped her coffee, and Kevin ordered a drink to go. Allison felt more relaxed now, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. 

She would miss him. But she knew that if they started a relationship now, it would be worse when she left for L.A. She would miss him more, and everything would be more complicated. She wanted the next year to be free for her to live her life, to play for the Lightning and get her foot in the door in the fashion world and not have to worry about anything else. It was the best decision for her to make. 

And who knew? Maybe Kevin would decide to join her in California. She knew he would play for the Court, but the jury was still out on which other professional team he would play for. He had his pick of the litter. 

“Thank you,” she said eventually when Kevin got his coffee. He looked at her. 

“For what?”

“We had fun. I like being your friend. Getting to know you has been a highlight of my last semester,” she said. “I’m glad for what we had while we had it.”

He smiled. “Well then, thanks to you too. Thank you for being my friend. And for helping me.”

“I didn’t help you with anything,” she said. 

“You did,” Kevin said softly. He didn’t have to say what for. Allison understood. She hadn’t meant to do anything at all, and the fact that she’d put so little effort into it but that just her presence, her friendship, her place in his life had helped Kevin heal and grow, meant more than she felt comfortable saying. 

She would take the memories of her nights with Kevin, the laughter they’d shared, with her to California, and she would keep them close until she could see him again. 

She felt sure that she would, eventually. She would see all the Foxes again. None of them were done with each other. 

They never would be. 


	7. Chapter 7

“Today’s the day!”

Dan woke her up by jumping onto her bed, and Renee laughed when Allison emerged from under her blankets with a groan, her hair a mess. 

“Graduation day!” Renee said, attempting to fix Allison’s hair. 

“It’s finally here!” Dan was all smiles, excited and happy. Allison checked the time on her phone. The ceremony didn’t start for another four hours, but Dan already looked ready, dressed in the outfit she’d decided to wear under her cap and gown. 

“Are we going to breakfast?” Allison asked, stretching as she sat up. Matt had said he was taking all the girls to a celebratory goodbye breakfast at a diner in town, and later tonight, the whole team would drive to Columbia for dinner at Sweetie’s and one last party at Eden’s. 

“Yep! So get up and put your face on, princess.” Dan patted Allison’s leg underneath the blankets, and Renee smiled. “The rest of our lives begin today.”

“Oh, don’t be so philosophical,” Allison said, waving Dan away. 

“I just can’t believe we’ve made it this far.” Dan looked like she was about to get emotional, and Allison did  _ not  _ want to get emotional, so she held up a hand to stop her. 

“None of that,” she scolded. “You should be proud, not weepy.”

“I am proud! Just think of all the shit we’ve been through to get to this point. Freshman year to now. It’s fucking incredible, and we’re so strong, we’ve survived so much shit, and I love you both so much!” Dan threw her arms around Renee and pulled her down to Allison’s bed so they all tumbled together, laughing. 

Allison let her have the moment. She loved them, too. And Dan was right. The last five years flashed through Allison’s head in a rush, moments of heartbreak, moments of happiness, moments of victory and moments of failure. She wouldn’t have given it all up for anything. 

“Foxes forever,” Dan said, squeezing her best friends tight. Allison rolled her eyes, but she and Renee repeated the words in solidarity. 

“Foxes forever.” 

*

“Allison Jamaica Reynolds.”

She walked across the stage with her head held high, her white cap and gown worn proudly over the pink dress she’d picked out. 

She was the first of the girls to go, and she looked for Dan and Renee in the grid of chairs where the graduates were sitting, waiting to be called. They cheered for her and waved, and the other Foxes in the audience shouted her name, letting out whoops for her. Allison accepted her degree certificate, shook the dean’s hand, and grinned. 

She’d done it. A rush hit her at that moment, a feeling of joy and pride that had been waiting to rise up. 

Five years, so much hard work, so much blood, sweat, and tears, and now she was here. A graduate of Palmetto State University, a degree in Fashion Merchandising in hand, and a Fox. A team and a career waiting for her, and a promising future full of possibility. 

She held up her degree so the Foxes in the stands could see, and Wymack and Abby stood up and whistled. Despite herself, Allison felt tears prick her eyes. She smiled. She didn’t need her parents to be here. This was enough. 

Kevin clapped loudly for her, grinning down at her from the audience. Matt was shouting her name. Neil was standing up too, fist in the air. The Vixens were cheering. 

Kevin caught her eye and mouthed, “Proud of you.”

Allison thought maybe it was okay to cry, just this once.

*

When Dan and Renee, almost one after the other because of where their last names fell in the alphabet, walked across the stage and joined Allison, the three of them hugged each other tightly. 

“I love you guys,” Allison said, kissing Renee’s cheek and then Dan’s. “Thank you so much for the best five fucking years of my life.” It was true, in spite of the hardship. Playing for the Foxes had been a blessing. A gift. 

“So far,” Dan said, tears in her eyes. Allison laughed. 

“So far,” she agreed. The best was yet to come. 

The other Foxes came down and swept them up when the dean announced the graduating class and concluded the ceremony, and the girls were buried in a wave of hugs and kisses. Wymack and Dan shared an emotional moment where Coach tried very hard not to cry. Abby hugged Allison and told her she was so, so proud of her. Matt picked each of the girls up and spun them around. Nicky was inconsolable. Katelyn and the Vixens told Allison they’d miss her desperately. Aaron congratulated her. Neil hugged her and said he was grateful he’d been able to play on the same team as her, and that he wished her every success in California. Even Andrew shook her hand, which Allison grinned at.

Kevin leaned in with a smile, said, “Sorry about this, don’t kill me for it,” and kissed her.

Excited screams erupted around them as Allison stood there in shock, blinking. Kevin smiled against her lips, and when he pulled away, he looked . . . relieved. So relieved and happy and free. 

Allison was breathless, but she composed herself as quickly as she could when the rest of the team started freaking out. 

“Oh my  _ GOD _ ,” Nicky said, eyes wide as they could go. 

“Holy shit!” Matt was grinning. 

“I hate you,” Allison told Kevin, who didn’t look sorry at all. 

“You said I could tell the team,” he reminded her. 

“ _ After _ I left,” she said. Kevin just shrugged and grinned. 

“When, how, where, why?” Nicky grabbed Allison’s arm, almost shaking her. “I  _ knew  _ it.”

“You did not,” she said. 

“No, I totally did. I knew it.”

“I suspected,” Katelyn chimed in. 

“Me too,” Neil said. “I knew he was seeing someone. I didn’t think it was you, though. Wow.”

“What an interesting turn of events,” Andrew said, one eyebrow raised. 

“Kids, let’s move the party outside,” Wymack said, trying to usher everyone out of the building and away from the crowd of tearful families and friends. 

“Yes, let’s!” Allison led the way, ignoring the questions and comments called out behind her. Kevin caught up with her and smiled sheepishly. 

“Sorry,” he said. She rolled her eyes. 

“You asshole.”

“Yeah. Worth it, though. I really didn’t want to go to Eden’s tonight without being able to dance with you.”

There was that. Allison sighed and took his hand, which made Nicky and Matt scream behind them. 

“Good lord,” Allison said. 

“You only have to deal with it for two weeks,” Kevin pointed out, laughing. 

“Then I’m changing my phone number,” she said. 

He laughed again, and Allison smiled. 

Damn it, but Kevin was right. 

Worth it. 

*

“To the girls!”

Matt held up his shot glass at Eden’s, and the rest of them followed suit in a toast. 

“To the girls,” they all repeated, and threw back their shots. Kevin, too. But the first shot was his only drink tonight - he had water on the table, which he drank quickly after his glass was emptied. 

He’d been on a steady incline since he and Allison had started hooking up, only drinking when they went out on nights like this, and then only in moderation. He was working his way back up to completely sober, and Allison was proud of him. In L.A, she’d only seen him touch a drink on the night they went to the club, and since then, she’d worried that if she broke his heart, he might have slipped again. But he was fine. Better than he’d ever been. Recovery was a long process, but Kevin was on a good path. And she had faith in him. 

She felt even more sure that she’d made the right decision by not getting into a relationship with him. The long-distance would’ve put a strain on both of them. It was going to be easier to be free of attachments and commitments for a while. 

That didn’t mean they wouldn’t miss each other.

The Foxes surged onto the dance floor, and Kevin confidently put his arms around Allison’s waist, drawing her close. She let him, ignoring the suggestive looks from Nicky and Matt. She’d put a stop to any teasing before it began right after the graduation ceremony. No one had wanted to incur her wrath, so they behaved themselves. Mostly.

“Did you ever think we’d be here?” Kevin asked her, leaning in close to speak in her ear over the music. 

“Not in a million years,” she said. 

“Where do you think we’ll be in another five years?”

“You’ll have an Olympic gold medal and I’ll be running an empire.”

“You think so?”

“I know so,” Allison said, kissing him. 

“What else?” he asked when she pulled back, his smile bright under the club lights. She knew what he was asking, and she indulged him. She was in a good mood.

“We might have a place together in downtown L.A,” she said. “We might both be playing for the Lightning. Or maybe on rival teams.” She kind of liked that idea better. It would be a hilarious media circus. 

“I like the sound of that,” Kevin said. He kissed her again. 

Allison looped her arms around his neck, and she captured this moment in her mind, to store forever. 

*

_ Seven years later _

**WEDDING OF THE DECADE! EXY ICONS KEVIN DAY AND ALLISON REYNOLDS TO BE MARRIED IN EXTRAVAGANT WEST COAST CEREMONY**

_ The world of professional Exy lit up with excitement when famous faces of the sport, Kevin Day and Allison Reynolds, announced their engagement to the press last year. They’ve been touted as Exy’s “Harry and Meghan,” the royal couple of the sport, and the slipper surely fits. “Daynolds,” as they have lovingly been nicknamed by fansites, are rivals to Day’s fellow U.S Court players Neil Josten and Andrew Minyard, Exy’s second infamous royal couple. Josten and Minyard have yet to tie the knot, but sources speculate it won’t be long now until they follow in Daynolds’ footsteps.  _

_ Day and Reynolds have both made quite the splash in the last several years, together and apart. Kevin Day just recently became the youngest player ever to be inducted into the Exy Hall of Fame, and he is fresh off an Olympic win with the U.S Court alongside Josten and Minyard. Allison Reynolds has just debuted her new spring and summer line of women’s sportswear with her self-made company, A.J. Rey. Day and Reynolds shocked the world when it was revealed that they were a couple, though to some, it wasn’t a surprise. They played together on the collegiate level, and our sources say they grew quite close as friends during Reynolds’ senior year. But still, hearts were broken all across America when they were spotted on a date in Los Angeles after Kevin Day’s college graduation. Exy fangirls who’d been in love with Day vilified Reynolds on the internet, and young men who’d hoped to meet and woo the beautiful Allison Reynolds turned their adoration into harsh judgment when she was officially declared off the market. Neither Day nor Reynolds were spared the dark side of the Exy fansites, but they took it in stride. The bloggers kept a close eye on the couple whenever they were seen in public together, and public opinion quickly swayed in their favor. “Daynolds” became popular, and it wasn’t long before the more devoted fans put up social media accounts dedicated to them.  _

_ Though the couple seemed happy and very much in love, it was still a surprise to everyone when the unexpected happened three years ago: Allison Reynolds was quitting Exy because she was pregnant. The sports gossip sites went wild, and there was a race to get shots of Reynolds’ baby bump. Despite the media attention they’d always claimed to enjoy in previous interviews, Day and Reynolds managed to keep their private life quiet during this time. They emerged again after the birth of their daughter, Rosie Leigh Day. Rosie has been kept out of the spotlight for her own safety and wellbeing, but her godparents, former Palmetto State University Foxes Renee Walker and Andrew Minyard, report that the baby is in good health.  _

_ Everyone wondered when the couple would get married after Rosie’s birth, but Daynolds seemed in no rush. So they surprised the media once again when a picture began circulating of the impressive ring on Reynolds’ finger last year. Day and Reynolds made the official announcement last February, on the evening of a publicized birthday celebration for Day. Their entire former college team was in attendance, as well as all of the San Diego Lightning and the U.S Court. Famous names in fashion were also spotted, namely Christian Siriano (who partnered with Reynolds for a runway show several months earlier) and the hosts of  _ Project Runway,  _ Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn. The event doubled as a charity fundraiser for  _ The Hope Court Project _ , a foundation started by Neil Josten and Andrew Minyard to benefit underprivileged children in the foster system who want to pursue a career in Exy.  _

_ Immediately after their engagement, reporters hunted for answers about the wedding. Reynolds has been tight-lipped on the details, but the day has finally come: in three months, she and Day will be married in what she has described as “an extravagant ceremony with our family and friends” in their neighborhood of Brentwood, Los Angeles. The couple have kept a home in Brentwood for the past several years. It’s unclear where exactly the venue will be yet, but the wedding is sure to be stunning, befitting of the Harry and Meghan of Exy. We can’t wait to see the couple be joined in holy matrimony, and we just have to say - it’s about time! _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the end! again sorry if it seems rushed but I just reallllly want to turn my attention to other fics :/ July's short smut fic I'll be posting (and it actually will be a short smut fic this time) is gonna be . . . HARLIVY (Harley Quinn/poison ivy)! I am branching out my fandoms I write for on here! I've been watching the Harley Quinn cartoon on DC universe and I LOVE harlivy, plus I've always been a big fan of DC shows so I might write more for different DC couples in the future!

**Author's Note:**

> I have never done a daynolds fic before so let me know what y'all think because I have no idea
> 
> I ship them but they're a very minor ship for me, I just kinda think they're neat, and I've never written from Allison's POV before so it was hard for me to get in her head and to write an m/f fic since it's been so goddamn long since I've written anything that wasn't gay. my original idea for daynolds came upon me literal years ago and it was just: Allison wearing Kevin's jersey. that's it. that's all it started with so I have NO idea why I couldn't just write a quick smut thing and be done with it. I thought about deleting the whole thing and starting fresh but it's too late for that now!! I hate myself


End file.
